The Lucky Sorcerers
by MysteryGirl7Freak
Summary: What was supposed to be a happy day, turned into the beginning of a dark storm. With villains rising, it's up to the heroes of Disney to stop them. But what can a mouse, a rabbit, a clumsy apprentice, and a few goofy friends do? Story better than summary. OCs included.
1. Chapter 1

**Myst: Yep, I decided to post a new story. Couldn't help it. I don't own Disney. Just the OCs. If you see a mistake of any kind, grammar or character info, let me know. Hope you enjoy and review.**

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**The Lucky Sorcerers**

**Chapter 1: Beginnings**

In a faraway land, there was a majestic castle surrounded by a marble wall with many towers. One tower, in particular, was very unique than the others, with a blue shade to it and stars and moons in the pattern. This tower belonged to Master Yen Sid, a great wizard of awesome power. It was he who tutored the king of Disney Castle and Toontown, Mickey Mouse to do and control his magic, even though the former apprentice did get into mischief now and then.

After Mickey passed his exam and much later became king, Yen Sid took a new apprentice. Two, actually. Who are they? Well, that is where our story begins.

In another tower much smaller than the blue one, in the topmost room rests a young teenager sleeping in a four-poster bed. Her curly, cinnamon brown hair obscured her face in a jumbled mess. Her small frame moved slightly as she breathed evenly. One arm dangled off the bed, showing a smooth hand with nails painted a cherry pink. Around her wrist she wore a bracelet with many charms that sparkled when the sunlight hit it. The girl was in a tranquil cloud of peace.

Then it was shattered when the door slammed open, followed by a cheerful voice.

"Up and at 'em, Sleeping Beauty!

She shot up, falling off the bed in the process. "Ha!"

The rabbit in the doorway winced as he heard the thud caused by the girl connecting with the floor. He was a short little fella, with black and white fur. His wardrobe consisted of a sky-blue robe with a red, rope-like belt around the middle. He was barefooted and his feet stuck out from the bottom of his robe. His long ears scrunched up a bit before they straightened out. "Oops."

"Oswald!" She sat up, her hair serving as a curtain. "You promised not to do that anymore."

The rabbit shrugged hands held up helplessly. "Sorry, Rowena. At least I didn't bring Pluto this time."

Rowena pushed her hair out of her face, showing her hazel eyes and stood up. "What time is it?"

"Time to get ready for the day!" Oswald hopped over to the window, throwing the curtains aside. Rowena recoiled as the sunlight filtered in, lighting up the mauve walls and blue rug. "Today's the day of the Festival of Stars."

Rowena's face lit up with the mention of the event. "That's right, I remember now." She quickly fixed her bed, fluffing the pillow and smoothing the blanket out. She knew that the servants could've taken care of this, but she doesn't mind doing it. Actually, she felt like she needed to do it. It was one of the things she felt she could still do that she did in her old life. Before Yen Sid made her an apprentice, she was just an assistant to a performer called Voodoo Mama Juju and lived in a house wagon. They didn't earn much, but enough to get food on the table. When they came to Toontown, Rowena somehow conjured up a dozen of doves to appear out of thin air during the show that wasn't intended to happen. Then other strange stuff starting happening like objects disappearing and reappearing in odd places, a bird transforming into a tiger, and even Mama Juju levitating in the air, panicking. And it was all caused by her.

Fortunately, nobody got seriously injured, except Rowena's guardian when she landed in an awning and sprained her ankle. The tiger got turned back into a bird, thanks for a magician who heard the commotion and raced over. That same magician was the court magician of Disney Castle and brought her forth to the king and Master Yen Sid. Now her she was, two years later. Living in a castle and learning magic, mostly to control it.

Rowena walked over and went behind a change-screen. "That's at sunset, right?"

Oswald nodded even though she couldn't see him. "Yep. As it is every year. So I'm told."

The Festival of the Stars is the anniversary of the castle's construction finish decades ago. Also it was a celebration of happiness and peace the people experienced in times of peace which seemed like most of the times as nothing bad as happened for years. Rowena remembered that first year she was here for that; that's where she met Oswald. Actually, that was the first time anyone in the Kingdom met Oswald, besides the King and Master Yen Sid.

Before he came here, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was living in a place called Wasteland, ruling it as his own kingdom. But it was a dark place since the Thinner Disaster and the Blot tried to destroy the place and escaped to the other world beyond the mirror. The creature even dragged Mickey into the world and tried to take his own heart to do his evil bidding. But it failed when the two joined forces and defeated the Blot, restoring Wasteland what it was meant to be and Oswald's lost love, Ortensia. And over time, Mickey and Oswald became friends, until finally, they were brothers.

That's right. They're related. True, full-blooded brothers.

Err…half-brothers, actually.

Anyway, it was announced then to all at that party and what a party it was. At the end, it was also announced by Master Yen Sid that he was taking Oswald as an apprentice to learn magic, same as her. And they were friends ever since. This celebration would be the second one she's been to.

Oswald jumped and landed in a green bean chair, sitting on it. "I heard from my little brother that Dr. Ludwig Von Drake cooked up a real surprise for the celebration. Something to do with lights and colors. Probably a firework display with a laser firing them off, I don't know."

Rowena step out from the change-screen, dressed in an outfit similar to the rabbit's, only violet with a brown belt. "Well, let's just hope he doesn't accidently light someone on fire, again," she said, braiding her hair into a single plait.

Oswald chuckled at the memory, hopping up and following Rowena out the room. "Donald was really running like a manic with his tail smoking behind him."

She flipped the now finished braid behind her. "I'll admit, it was funny. More so when Goofy tried to put it out with that fire extinguisher."

They laughed quietly as they walked down the stairs and towards the banquet hall for breakfast.

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Meanwhile, employees of the castle and volunteers were setting up for the party at dusk, putting up picnic tables and paper lanterns and such. Unbeknownst to anyone, a group of thieves were planning to take advantage of the celebration to sneak into the castle right outside its walls obscured in shadows. One was a well-known adversary of King Mickey. A big, mean-spirited cat named Pete who caused trouble time and time again for the kingdom. With him were the Beagle Boys, a trio of burglars with the same IQ as Pete, maybe a fraction more so. They were peeking through a hole at the base of the wall big enough to allow all four to see into the courtyard.

Pete rubbed his hands together, straightening up. "He he, with thems so busy with the party, getting' in will be a snap." He snapped his fingers at the word. "All right, boys. Ya remember the plan, right?"

"We go in and burn up the castle," said the smallest one. He and the other two brought out lit torches seemingly out of nowhere from behind their backs. Pete frowned.

"No, I said sneak in and search the castle, ya nitwits!" With that, Pete whacked the torches out of their hands and stomped them out. "Geez-a-wheeze, can't ya lot hear right? We want to find something that could help us take over the kingdom!"

"What makes you think it'll work this time?" One of them questioned arms out.

"Because you have me to help you this time."

Pete and the Beagle Boys turned around to see a cloak-hooded figure appeared from the shadows, leaning against the wall of the back of a building.

"About time ya got here," Pete complained. "We've been out here for hours now, and so far we got nothin' on how we're getting' in there." He jerked a thump behind him the wall, indicating the castle. The figure merely pushed off from the wall and calmly walked up to them.

"It won't be hard to get in. That's the least of our worries."

"What's the worst of them?"

He flicked off non-existing lint from his arm. "Getting into Yen Sid's tower."

The tallest of the brothers raised his hand. "Why Yen Sid's tower? Why not just head for the treasure room?"

"Or the king's chambers?" Another asked.

The figured sneered under his hood. "Because they are secrets in there more valuable than gold. The treasure room will be guarded, same as the king's chambers. But no one will be watching the tower. There is only the matter of getting pass the enchantments."

"I thought ya said it wouldn't be guarded," Pete argued.

"I said it wouldn't be guarded, but I didn't say it wouldn't be left unprotected." He turned his graze to the top of the wall. "Fortunately though, an old friend of mine lives in the castle. With the right persuasion, I can get her to deactivate the barrier long enough for us to enter the tower and steal the book."

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**Myst: Love it? Hate it? Wondering who the cloaked figure is? Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I was working on this bit by bit and now it's done. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2: Suspicions**

"Come on, we're gonna be late!"

Rowena and Oswald raced along the corridors, passing groups enchanted broomsticks along the way. The rabbit was ahead, hopping in long strides that could be mistaken as running for some. Rowena, on the other hand, had to hitch up her robe's bottom hem a bit to keep from falling, and she was wearing black flats. Not exactly the best shoe-ware to run in.

Going back a bit, when they had both finished breakfast Horace Horsecaller had asked them for some help with setting up the tech equipment for tonight's lights display. Seeing as they had time to kill before their lesson, rabbit and girl decided to give him a hand. It took longer than they originally expected, mostly because Rowena kept tripping or getting tangled in the wires. Once the job was done, they realized their lesson started in 4 minutes. And they were at the other end of the castle.

"I can't believe we didn't keep track of time!" Oswald continued, hopping onto a stair banister and sliding down on his feet. "Especially since you're supposed to be the clumsy one."

Rowena scowled as she started fast walking down the steps. "What does me being clumsy have to do with-" she trailed off as her foot slipped on a step, sending her propelling forward. "Ahh!"

"Rowena!"

Just as her face was about to make contact with the steps, she quickly cast a spell…

…and transformed herself into a bouncy ball.

Oswald watched as the round, plastic sphere that was his friend bounced down the stairwell as it passed him, shrieking emitting from it. Near the end, the ball suspended longer on a step, gathering kinetic energy before flying high into the air. It briefly lit up and Rowena changed back into a person, falling in the air with her arms waving wildly. She was heading towards ground level and rammed into another person who was just appearing around the corner, a vase nearby shook with the force from the impact that the landing made.

Oswald winced, landing expertly on the last step. "Ouch."

Groaning in pain, Rowena sat up and held her head looking a bit green. Then she heard a moan and glanced down to see she was on someone's back. She gasped, quickly getting up and holding out her hands, apologetically. "I'm so sorry! I-I was trying to get to-I didn't mean to-I fell down and-I'm just so-"

She trailed off as she moved him up a bit to examine for injuries and saw his face. On the ground propped on his forearms and sideways, was a roguishly handsome young man with black hair tied in a short pony-tail, nicely tanned skin, dressed in a set of blue and white wardrobe, and gray eyes that stared at her in recognition. "Barek?"

"Rowena?"

They stared at each other for a moment, blinking, before Rowena covered her mouth in surprised and excitement. "Oh my gosh, it's you!"

Barek blinked a couple of times, equally surprised. "And you!"

They started to talk and laugh at the same time, getting up from the floor. "What are you doing here? How have you been? I-no, no-you."

Oswald just watched this with confusion, an eyebrow quirked and an ear bent. Finally he shook his head and waved his arms, gaining the teens' attention. "Wait a minute, wait a minute! You two know each other?"

"Oh, yeah. We do. Barek, this is Oswald. Oswald, this is Barek. An old friend of mine." She turned back to the boy. "I can't believe it's you."

Barek smiled widely. "Nor you. I thought you were still traveling around the other side of the world with Voodoo Yama Lulu."

"Voodoo Mama Juju," Rowena corrected. "And nope, I've moved on to a higher level."

"What, a lady in waiting?" He joked.

Rowena shook her head. "No, an apprentice. I'm training to be a sorceress."

Barek looked at her in awe. "Really? You have magical powers?"

Rowena nodded. "Yep, it's a long story, but what about you? I haven't seen you for ages. It's been, what, four years?"

He held up three fingers, smirking. "Three, actually. And me, well… same old same old, I guess. Except, I am no longer cleaning up after some drunken ringmaster, I'm a fire-eater now."

"So you've been promoted?" she said playfully.

He shrugged, smirking slightly. "In a way. I'm here with the hired circus to entertain these good people at the ceremony. Gonna be a blast. I'm sorry; it's just so good to see you after all these years."

They kept smiling at each other sincerely, Rowena ducking her head a bit as if shy. Then Oswald popped his head up, intervening. "Well, you two can catch up later. Rowena and I have a lesson to get to." With that, Oswald grabbed his friend's hand and dashed off down the hall.

"I'll see you later!" She called down as they disappeared around the bend.

Barek stood there, hands in his pockets and smirked slyly. "Yes, you will."

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"Ok, what was that about?"

Oswald and Rowena ran up the steps of the Mysterious Tower, the corridor living up to its name. Instead of stone structure, the place look like a bit of space got trapped inside with stars and colorful dust clouds floating in air. The stairwell was suspended in midair as it seemed, looking out of place in this part of the cosmos. Rowena was a bit irritated how Oswald just hauled her away from Barek who she hadn't seen since Rosemary Hills.

Oswald glanced back at her. "What do you mean?"

Rowena glared at the rabbit. "You know what. It was rude what you did. I was just meeting up with someone I never thought I would see again."

"Thought or hoping to never see again?"

"Oswald," she scolded him, furrowing her eyebrows together. "What do you have against him?"

"Only that he delayed us," he hopped up the last steps, reaching the mahogany door with the moon and star symbol crested on top. The rabbit swiped his forehead of sweat, exhaling a puff of air. He reached up and twisted the knob. "Let's just hope we still made-"

He was interrupted when Rowena squeaked, tripping her foot against a step and rammed into the rabbit, the door flying open as they rolled in awkwardly. Rowena's head connected with solid oak, black dots dancing across her eyelids. She groaned, rubbing her head as she lay on the floor. Feeling a weight on her stomach, she looked down to see Oswald there dazed and stars circling his head. He shook his head clear, alert now and looked over the desk.

"M-master Yen Sid!" He cried, jumping to his feet and standing at attention beside Rowena who just pushed herself up into a sitting position.

Behind the desk, at the window further off was an old man with a long gray beard and half bald, wearing a blue robe and a pointy hat with aqua-colored shapes on it. Yen Sid was gazing out of the window, as if he was focused on something. Most who stood in this sorcerer's presence could not help but be intimidated by his fierce and stern appearance. Those who've been around him long enough knew that underneath that strict demeanor was a nice guy who is very wise and knows a great deal of magic. He is most often seen with a serious tone that could shut someone up faster than you can say 'Supercalifragilisticexpialid ocious.'

Rowena quickly stood up, sheepish and hands behind her back. "Master, we were just…um…we are so sorry for being late. We can explain if you want us to."

The old man did not show any sign that he heard her or that they entered into the room. It was kinda unnerving that he just stared out the window, saying nothing. Oswald and Rowena glanced at each other. Oswald cleared his throat.

"Master Yen Sid, are you all right?"

"Hmm?" Yen Sid broke out of his stupor, turning to his students. "Oswald, Rowena. I didn't hear you two come in."

'_He didn't hear use crash through the door and thunk my head against his desk like a wreaked ball?' _Rowena thought, resisting the urge to make a face. Usually, Master Yen Sid would know without hearing a sound that someone entered the room. "Is everything all right, Master?"

Yen Sid nodded his head. "Yes. For the time being, anyway."

Oswald and Rowena were curious to what he meant about that, but knew better than to pester him to explain it to them. Oswald struggling to let it go more than Rowena. "Will you still join all of us to the celebration?"

"Of course I will." Yen Sid nodded the edges of his mouth quirking upward. He walked up to his desk and sat down, looking them in the eyes. "Now, have you been practicing the spells I assigned the both of you?"

"Yes sir." The two students nodded. When they first started off they were taught the same way Mickey was; doing tasks like filling up a fountain with water and other odd stuff. When they finally moved on to magic, they started out with the basic stuff like making yourself levitate an inch and slowly move up to harder stuff that requires more concentration and power. Not to mention control, this was a lot harder for Rowena because her magic had a faulty side to it. Don't worry; she's getting better at it. The bouncy ball incident not being a great example of her progress, but still, it's gotten better. Right now, they were learning defensive spells. However, Oswald just couldn't keep from wondering what was Yen Sid was thinking earlier.

Oswald raised a hand. "I'm sorry, but what is it that you are not telling us. It must be pretty big for you not to hear us crash in here. Rowena nearly split her head open slamming it against your desk."

Rowena blushed in embarrassment, bowing here head.

Yen Sid, however, just waved it off. "It is nothing worth troubling you two about. At least not yet. Now," He gestured towards Rowena. "Shall we start with a demonstration of your progress, Rowena?"

Rowena nodded curtly, rolling her selves up. "Yes, Master Yen Sid." Oswald stepped back as Rowena faced the stuffed dummy that Yen Sid just conjured up. She took a few deep breathes and try to concentrate, handing her hands up in position. "Funis-Is Vinculum!"

Purple bolts of magic shot out, the force causing her to fall back. Her magic made connect with the dummy and snaked around it. It was almost solidified when-

_POOF!_

A wall of flowers bloomed up all around the dummy. Rowena gritted her teeth, getting up and preparing to try again as the flowers wilted away.

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Pete adjusted his disguise as they hide behind a wagon. He and the Beagle Boys were preparing Operation: Sneak-In after ambushing some clowns and stealing an extra set of XXXX-large costume for Pete, stowing the unconscious performers inside the flowery and polka-dotted cart. They stopped in front of the entrance, people from all over milling in. _Getting' in will be easy, just as that kid said,_ Pete thought to himself, looking over at the entrance to see the Captain of the Royal Guards standing there in ceremonial armor, checking people who were passing through.

Pete spun back to his minions. "All right, boys. Ya know what ta do?"

They all gave a thumbs up, wearing brown cloaks and black eye masks. "Right, boss."

Pete nodded. "Good. Get in the wagon and don't make a peep."

Swiftly, the Beagle Boys leaped inside the cover, out of sight. Pete flop his rump on the driver's seat and flicked the reins, sending the ox forward to the gates.

And stopped when he saw how big the line was.

His ears flopped down, mouth gapping. It has gone from a few people to a mile long in 2 seconds, and moving very slowing. Pete huffed, frustrated. "Ya gotta be kiddin' me!"

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"Hang on, Ozzie!" Rowena assured the frozen rabbit. "We're melting you out as fast as we can!"

For half an hour, Rowena kept trying to do the spell and for some reason, kept messing up. However, instead of vines and flowers, the latest slip-up hit Oswald and trapped him in a block of ice. Now both she and Yen Sid were using a small fire spell to defrost him.

Rowena gnawed at the inside of her mouth, feeling awful for the accident. "Oswald, I'm so sorry! I don't know what happen."

"Rowena." Rowena turned her attention to Yen Sid. "Focus on the spell. Once he is free, you may plead for his forgiveness. It would do no good while he is still trapped."

Rowena nodded, half worried to hear him. "Right, Master. Sorry."

Yen Sid sighed heavily, but let it go.

Just then, the door open and Mickey peaked in, halfway inside. "How are-?" He trailed off when he saw his brother frozen like a statue. He jumped and ran the rest of the way in. "What happened?"

"Um," Rowena mumbled, "Well, ya see, it was-um…"

"A magic mishap," Yen Sid explained for her. "He'll be all right, though it'll take some minutes or so to warm him up."

Finally, all the ice was melted and Oswald was able to move. And shiver like he was strapped to a jackhammer with his teeth shaking unbelievably fast together. He hugged himself, blue from the ice. Rowena fussed over him, rubbing his arms to get the blood flowing.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said sincerely, "How do you feel?"

"N-n-numb," he chattered. "C-c-c-cold."

Mickey stood beside his older brother, hand on his shoulder. He turned to Rowena. "You better take him to the infirmary. See if they could give him something to warm up."

Rowena half nodded, half curtsied. "Yes, your Majesty."

"Rowena, please. I've told you before to call me Mickey," The mouse smiled.

Picking up the shivering rabbit, Rowena glanced at Yen Sid nervously. "I guess class is over for today, huh?"

The wizard only nodded, he face expressionless as usual. "The king and I have some private matters to discuss anyway. You're dismissed."

With that, she strode across the room with Oswald in her arms and left, closing the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, Mickey turned to his former teacher. "So Master Yen Sid, you summon me to discuss about something, right?

"Yes," he replied, seldom. He strode across the room to a large body-length mirror with red curtains on either side, Mickey following behind. "This morning, I received a troubling message from the mirror."

"What did it say?" Mickey looked at the mirror, slightly puzzled.

Instead of answering, Yen Sid stood in front of it and raised his arms. "Slave in the magic mirror." he began in a powerful voice. "Come from the farthest space. Threw wind and darkness I summon thee. Speak and let me see thy face."

From the darkness of the mirror, green flames erupted before they died down and a white, spectral face appeared in the center. This was the magic mirror that once belonged to an evil queen who met her fate under a giant boulder. After her death, Yen Sid saw that the mirror was too powerful an artifact to be left around for someone to steal for their own purpose. So he took it from where it resided and kept it. The mirror proved to be helpful, but almost more enigmatic than Yen Sid. "What wouldst thou want, Master Yen Sid?"

"Tell the king what you conveyed to me spirit."

The mirror turned his gaze to Mickey and spoke in a monotone voice.

"Once thought to be friendship, a betrayal shall spew. With a powerful spell, and help from his crew. Foes once conquered will come together, as a mightier force than ever. If thou would hope to triumph this day, then bring forth the light to keep the darkness at bay." The face disappeared then, returning to a regular mirror.

"What do you think this means?" Mickey asked, uneasy by the mirror's words.

Yen Sid tugged down on a rope slightly, causing the curtains around the mirror to close. "I believe it means some old enemy will arise and try to conquer the worlds. But I have been watching the worlds and seen no signs of danger anywhere." He indicated to the basin in the far corner.

Mickey walked over to it and peered into the basin. Inside, a liquefied image showed sights of people going on about their lives in other worlds. He remembered the first time he learned that there were other worlds a long time ago, back when he was an apprentice. It was incredible discovery to say the least. However, Yen Sid warned him that he could never interfere with the worlds in fear of disrupting the balance of nature. Traveling through worlds where only use for resources and information purposes only, never to interact with these people or their affairs.

"What should we do?" Mickey asked, looking back at his master who was now behind him.

"I will continue to look into this matter." Yen Sid waved his hand over the basin, causing the images in the water to vanish. "For now, let us go and enjoy the celebration while we can."

Mickey nodded, but then a thought popped up. An awful thought. One he didn't like. "Wait, it also said something about a betrayal. You don't think that-"

"I don't think he would." Yen Sid interrupted, knowing what the king was thinking. "He has changed a lot since he has come here. More so when you two first met. But we shall keep a wary eye out and be ready if it should be Oswald to betray us."

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**Dun, dun, dun!**

**A prophecy has been given, but will it come true? And will it be Oswald that will betray them?**

**Now as for Barek, our new character to pop up, you will learn more about him in the next chapter and a special surprise will come for Oswald. Any questions about Barek, will have to go on a review. But I will say now that he and Rowena known each other since the days they worked in the same circus together.**

**And yes girls, he has hair like Will Turner. But with the abs of a Fire-Dancer.**

**Even though I don't know what kind of muscle strength they have for I have never seen it.**

**And yes, that is how you spell Supercalifragilisticexpialid ocious. Correctly.**

**I found it on wiki.**

**Boy, do I wish Freak was here. Review please! Or PM!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Meetings and Not So Friendly Greetings**

"How are you feeling?"

Inside the infirmary, Rowena sat beside Oswald who had a blanket around his shoulders and a steaming mug in his hands.

"Better," he replied, taking a sip. "Warmer. Nothing like hot chocolate to help fight the chills, huh?"

She frowned, still feeling guilty over freezing him. "I'm so, so sorry about nearly freezing your fur off. I don't know what happened." She put her head into her hands, covering her eyes.

He just smiled half-heartedly, patting her back. "Hey, don't worry about it. I would've been distracted too."

She swung her head at him with an eyebrow raised. "What makes you think I was distracted?"

The rabbit rolled his eyes and gave her a knowing look. "What makes you think I didn't?"

Rowena exhaled, fumbling around with her hands. "Fine. I was thinking about Barek."

"Of course," Oswald muttered in a bored voice.

"It's just that I haven't seen him in forever. I never expected that I run into him here, inside the castle. I really tried to concentrate, but he just kept popping into my head. It seems as if he hasn't changed much when I left." The edges of her mouth quirked slightly, her head filling up with memories of her and Barek. How they first met, running errands for the grown-ups in the circus together, playing with the baby animals, secretly meeting behind the stables at night, and so much more. They were inseparable, the best of friends in that bizarre world they both lived in.

"Anyone in there?"Oswald waved a hand in front of her face, breaking her out of her dreamy state. He stared at her as she turned back to him, blinking a few times. "This guy has you more distracted than usual. If I didn't know any better, I say you two dated or something." He took a sip out of his mug while Rowena wrung her hands, staring at her knees.

"Actually, we've kissed."

_Pphhtzz!_

Oswald spit out the drink, shocked. "What!"A broom nearby who just finished mopping up angrily stomped over to them and slapped the rabbit upside the head. "Ow!" Then it walked away to clean the mess up. Rubbing his head, he twisted his head back to Rowena. "Again, what! When?"

"It was a long time ago. The night before I left with Voodoo Mama Juju, I told him to meet me at Rosemary Hills and we had a farewell picnic. We lie down on the grass, talked, gazed at the stars, and, well, we were side by side to each other. He leaned in and kissed me. The first kiss for the both of us."

"Well, that explains why you flunk at the spell," Oswald said, pointing his mug at her. "Even though you practiced it every second you could until it was easy for you to do like lifting a finger. I know because you used me for target practiced." Rowena smiled, suppressing a laugh.

"Seeing him again just stirred up those memories," she went on, "After that night I never thought I would see him again. I still can't believe he's here, and a fire-eater for that matter. It's incredible."

"Or suspicious." Oswald muttered, setting the mug aside on a drawer nearby. But Rowena heard him. Her lips tightened into a frown.

"What are you saying?" she asked, almost challengingly.

"There are some things that just don't make sense." The rabbit rubbed his chin with the back of his hand in thought. Then he pointed an index finger up, using the same hand. "Like his clothes."

Silence.

"His clothes," she said drily.

"Yeah, they were blue and white."

"So?"

"Don't fire-eaters usually wear red or black?"

Rowena crossed her arms. "They're not required to wear them all the time. He was probably planning to change before he performs. Ever thought of that?"

But Oswald wasn't finished. "Then why was he in the Garden Veranda Hallway? It's off-limits."

"That's just Barek. He's addicted to places he's not allowed in," she said, shrugging and then smirked. "If I didn't know any better, I say you've been watching way too much of that show with the germ-phobic detective."

"Hey, that happens to be a pretty good show," he defended. "The guy's life story is bitter and sweet, kinda like my life. A rough past, but better future. But back to this Barek guy. Don't you find it a little bit weird that he just so happens to be here, after all these years?"

"No." She shook her head. "I call it fate."

Oswald opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he heard the door open. Max Goof popped his head in, grinning casually. "Hey, I thought you guys might be in here."

"Why wouldn't ya?" Oswald muttered, looking at Rowena under half-lidded eyes. Rowena focused her gaze on the bed nearby, feeling sheepish.

Max stepped in, one hand on the door. "There's a surprise visitor here for ya."

Rowena perked up slightly, staring at the entrance with anticipation. Oswald just frowned and propped his head in his head, eyebrows furrowed.

"Oswald!"

Oswald's ear shot up, his mood changing immensely from gray to happy. Standing just at the door's entrance was Oswald's long-time sweetheart and wife, Ortensia. The same one mentioned early about the Blot's defeat, wearing a pink dress with a matching hat, a flower sticking out of the side.

"Ortensia!" He zipped off the bed in cartoon-style speed, causing the bed sheets and Rowena's hair to flutter by the wind. The rabbit embraced his feline wife, almost knocking her off her feet. "Oh, Ortensia! I've missed you so much!"

"I missed you too," Ortensia said, smothering him in kisses. While the two lovebirds-cat and rabbit? - talked, Max walked to Rowena who was trying to fix her hair back to normal.

"Crazy day, huh?" Max commented.

"You have no idea," she said, leaning back. "First I run into an old friend, and then I made Oswald into a rab-sicle." Heaving a sigh, she pushed off the bed and stood up. "Well, I might as well go change. I promised Jeremy and Calvin I'd meet them at three. Can't keep those two waiting or else they might get into trouble."

"Yeah," Max glanced down at his watch. "I better check on my dad. Make sure he doesn't accidently let any party crashers in."

"Oh come on, I'm sure he's doing fine."

* * *

"Have fun." Goofy waved a gang of alligators to pass through. The anthropomorphic dog was standing at the entrance to the courtyard dressed in the ceremonial armor of the Captain of the Royal Guards with a scroll in one hand and a pen in the other. "Next."

A grumpy looking obese clown drove on up. "Well, it's bout time. I was waitin' fer hours."

"Um…" Goofy tilted his head up, looking at the entertainer with an unsure expression. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. I um…am here for the entertainment."

Goofy squinted his eyes, examining the clown's face. There was something familiar about him; his height, his belly, the almost threatening look in his eyes…

"Say, You kinda look familiar. Have we met before?

The clown shifted his eyes left to right. "Oh, um…well, ya must recognize me…from my, um, performance. Yeah, that's right; I was here last year making…balloons animals. All kinds of em."

Goofy stood still with the back of his hand rubbing underneath his chin. Then his suspicion disappeared from his face and replaced with a smile. "Well, ok. Go on right in."

"Thanks." He passed on through the gate, waiting until he was out of earshot of the captain to whisper under his breath. "Sucker."

* * *

Examining herself in a mirror, Rowena smoothed out her outfit. She was wearing a casual white dress that had a peculiar pattern at the skirt's hem with the brown belt from her training robe. Her fingers buttoned a few buttons on her light wash blue jean jacket, then deciding against it unbutton them. Flipping her wavy hair, she hesitated before picking up a lily flower and tucking it into her hair. She shook her head in disagreement, then took it back out. Thinking, her hand hovered over a makeup kit before retracting it back to her side.

"No." She sighed. "It's just Barek. Just Barek. My long-time friend who I hadn't seen since we've kissed. It's not gonna be awkward."

_It was terribly awkward_.

She stood up and headed for her door. "Not at all."

Grasping the doorknob, she paused glancing at her wrist.

Her bracelet. It was gone.

Her head drooped, bumping it into the wood. "Not again. Looks like I'm gonna have to retrace my steps."

She opened the door and slammed it shut, lifting the hem so as not to repeat previous incidents down the spiraling staircase. At the bottom, she exited out the wooden door to the grounds outside. Stopping, she felt a hand grasp on her shoulder suddenly that made her jumped.

"Rowena." Barek gave her an easy smile as she twisted her head around.

She breathed slowly, hand over her heart. "Barek. Oh, I've forgotten how quiet you were. What are you doing in this part of the grounds?"

He leaned against the wall. "I thought we could catch up, like your little friend suggested."

Rowena started to smile, but remembered her task. "That's gonna have to wait. I lost my bracelet and I have to find it."

As she began to walk, Barek stopped her by stepping into her path. "Why don't I help you? Make the search quicker and catch up while we look for it. How about it?"

That made her pause and think, nodding her head. "Yeah, why not? Just stick with me, ok? Don't want to get in trouble with the king."

Barek stood beside her and offered her his arm. "Lead the way."

Charmed, she slipped her arm around his, smiling. She directed him to the castle, but she couldn't help thinking in the back of her mind that they should both just head for the party and worry about the bracelet later. Go to her friends and introduced Barek to them, have fun, and talk. However, she pushed it down and figured it wouldn't hurt to find it first.

* * *

**Yep, I compared Oswald to Mr. Monk. Don't ask why.**

**Boy I feel like I haven't been here for a bit. School is very distracting. That, and the monkey playing the banjo behind me. How many of you knew that Rowena and Barek would be involved romantically in some way? All of you raising your hands, put them down. This isn't a webcam.**

**Remember to review and I'll get back to you.**

**Hey, that kinda rhymed.**


	4. Chapter 4

******Oh man, it's been like a month! So sorry guys! Well now I have updated and surprises will appear within here. I like to thank Galmatias, who help wrote a little bit of the scene with her OC, Lillie. The witty girl from Somewhere in Between. Great story, check it out. And a thanks to 123keybladeboy for helping me out with a minor decision. He also has an great story called Maximum Hearts which contains two of my favorite things: Disney and Maximum Ride. And thanks to anyone I may have forgotten to mention in which case I apologize for that. All right, let's read this already.**

**Chapter 4: Party Crashers and Journalists**

After ditching the wagon and the disguise, Pete and the Beagle boys found their way inside the castle without attracting any attention whatsoever, avoiding passersby as best they could. With the castle residents outside, they were less likely to be seen sneaking along the walls. And it was a good thing too as they were painfully out in the open, tiptoeing with their backs pressed against the wall as their hands brushed lightly against the marble walls.

"Ha!" Pete let out a short laugh as he led the group. "That stupid goof let us righ' in without a thought. Kid's was righ', too easy."

"So," one of the goons spoke when they reached a bend, Pete glancing down the corridors, "This book, what's it called again?"

Pete tried to remember. "Book o' Legends or something. Point is, search fer somethin' big and fancy lookin'." Pete ears perked up when he heard laughter, seeing a door with a hospital symbol crested at the top swung forward. He waved his accomplices to go the other way which he followed afterwards. The littlest one open the door to a broom closet. They piled in one by one, the little Beagle Boy closing the door behind them.

"Scoot o'er, will ya?" Pete whispered, elbowing them back as he peeped out the keyhole. He blinked once and his line of vision filled up with the sight of a girl with wavy hair and a guy with a pony tail passing by.

* * *

_Earlier…_

Oswald and Ortensia were sitting on a bench among the party-goers who were socializing and having fun. Currently they were looking at pictures that Ortensia brought with her of their bunny children back at Wasteland. Oswald laughed when he saw one with the kids on aboard Peg Leg Pete's Steamboat with the owner running up the dock with his fist in the sky, angry. "Man, I miss those little guys. Can't wait to see them again." Oswald handed her back the photos which she put back in her pink purse.

"So tell me," she leaned towards him, drawing small circle on the wood's surface with one hand, "how is the magic training going?"

"Well…" he trailed off, scratching the back of his head and avoiding eye contact."It's going…slow…"

She frowned a bit. "Oswald, how many spells do you know?"

He bit his lip, feeling the heat of her stare at the back of his head. Clasping his hands together, he murmured, "Eight."

Unfortunately, she heard him. "Eight?" she said surprised. "Out of 60 spells?"

He twisted his body around to face her, putting on a reassuring grin. "It's not a big deal; I'm just having a hard time conjuring up my inner magic. Though, if it makes you feel better, I'm getting better at assembling gadgets."

"Oswald," she placed her hand over his, concerned. "Is everything all right?"

Oswald heaved a sigh, shoulders slumping. "It's just that Yen Sid seems more focused on teaching Rowena than me. Most of the time he just has me studying spells. I barely get to try one, let alone demonstrate. Maybe, I'm not cut out to be a sorcerer."

Ortensia gently placed her hand on his shoulder in a comforting way. "Ozzie..."

_Crank! Bang! Flooosh!_

Oswald cried out in surprise and jumped as something exploded behind their bench and sent off a firecracker into the sky. Then he noticed that a trembling Ortensia was hugging his neck in a death grip, cutting off his air circulation. He choked, "Can't breathe."

She let go and sat back down. "Sorry"

Confetti rained down then as laughter could be heard. Oswald turned around and scowled at the two, freckle faced teenagers that were high-fiving each other. "Jeremy! Calvin! What's wrong with you two?"

Jeremy (or was it Calvin?) waved him off in good humor, still laughing. "C'mon Oswald, we were only having some fun."

Oswald, frowning angrily, jumped off the bench and advanced toward the auburn haired boys, hands balled into fists. "I nearly got suffocated by your 'fun.'"

"But you didn't," pointed the other.

"So no harm done." Jeremy (I think?) ruffled the rabbit's head playfully. However, Oswald was not amused and slapped the hand away. He never found it funny when their pranks affected him in any way ever since the day he meet the twins. They worked in the stables, and next to Huey, Dewey, and Louie they were the best pranksters in town. They never gone too far with their projects, just enough to annoy some people like Oswald.

Ortensia walked over and stood next to Oswald. "I don't think we have met. I'm Ortensia."

"Hey. This is my bro, Jeremy," Calvin said, bumping his elbow against his twin's arm. Jeremy mimics his greeting to the cat as well, kneeling down and shaking her hand.

"And this is my bro, Calvin. I think we've met before from last year."

"And it would be exactly a year ago," added Calvin, as if he were a professor correcting a student. "Same day as the festival."

"Ah," Jeremy held up a finger, smirking. "But not exactly as the time is off. At least I think it is." Both of the brothers laughed, pushing each other's arms playfully. They trailed off as Ortensia and Oswald sent daggers at them. Obviously, neither were amused. "Oh come now."

"It was only a joke." Calvin added talking about the firecracker.

"I'm not laughing," Oswald said bluntly.

Calvin caught sight of Donald and elbowed his brother slightly. Gesturing to the duck, Jeremy got the hint and both shared a grin, nodding curtly. Jeremy quickly whispered, "You will be soon," to the couple as Calvin called Donald over.

"Hey Donald, over here!"

With his attention gained, the duck wobbled over. "What is it?"

"We wanted to give you this." Calvin pulled out a cupcake out from behind his back, briefly spinning it like a basketball on his finger.

Donald looked at them, skeptical. "Why?"

"We're giving them out to everyone," Jeremy provided, then winked at Oswald. "Right, Ozzie?"

Oswald hesitated before replying, "Uh, yeah. Part of the spirit of the celebration."

Shrugging, Donald accepted the pastry. "Thanks." He took a bite out of it.

_Splack!_

And gooey stuff exploded into his face in a mess, sticking to his feathers. The four of them burst into laughter, Oswald practically rolling on the ground, Ortensia trying to control her laughter behind her hand, and the twins holding their sides. Steaming, Donald wiped the cake off and went off into a riot of incomprehensible gibberish, jumping up and down.

"You two were supposed to stay out of trouble!" he yelled, understandable once he settled down. "Rowena had you two promised you'd behave." Looking around, he noticed the girl wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Where is Rowena? She's supposed to make sure you don't get into trouble."

"Last time we saw her, she went to her room to change," explained Ortensia.

"Probably still changing," Jeremy said, smirking and elbowing his brother.

Calvin chuckled. "Yeah. Girls tend to take their time-"

"-especially when it comes to parties."

Oswald rolled his eyes, frowning. The rabbit crossed his arms as a thought came to him. "She's probably taking so long because of _that _guy."

Everyone turned their eyes to him, their attention caught. "What guy?" Donald asked.

"Well," Oswald began, "Apparently, her old friend is here and ever since, she's been too distracted about him to focus on anything. I almost lost the feeling in my legs because of that."

Just then, Goofy arrived with his son. "Hey guys! What'cha talking about?"

Calvin and Jeremy swung around to face the Goofs. "About Rowena-"

"-and her old boyfriend." They turned back to the rabbit.

"That's right. Rowena mentioned that," said Max. "How did he get in any way? Is he like a counselor for the Disney Down-Town Orphanage or volunteer?"

Oswald shook his head. "No, he said he was a fire-eater for some circus we hired."

Goofy scrunched his eyebrows together, puzzled. "Uh, we didn't hire a circus."

"What?" Oswald asked, perplexed.

"Well, yeah. Donald specifically told me we couldn't hire a circus. Or fire-eaters because of the cannon incident." He held out his hand, pulling his sleeve up to show it was written upon with red marker. "He even wrote it on my hand."

As everyone looked at Donald, he laughed nervously. Oswald rolled his eyes at the duck's tactics. Remembering the topic at hand, he pressed his lips together. "Then how did he get in?"

"And why would he lie about being a fire-eater?" Ortensia voiced out loud.

"There's only one way to find out," Jeremy said, he and his brother taking a hold of each of Oswald's arms. They lifted him up and started towards the castle with purpose.

"We find him and interrogate," finished Calvin. His legs dangling in the air, Oswald turned back to his wife and his brother's friends. "Tell Mickey to meet us in the library and we'll be bringing in a party crasher."

"Will do!" Ortensia shouted, her and the others already walking away.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the infirmary, Rowena and Barek searched around the place with no results. Barek glanced under the bed and jumped back to his feet swiftly. "Nope not here."

Rowena, just after checking underneath a pillow, grabbed her head in worry and started pacing. "Oh, this is not good. It's not here; it's not where I fell on you-"

"With very little grace."

She shot him a look and continued her rant. "I need that bracelet. Without it, I can't control my powers right. They would be way wilder."

"Hey, hey," he walked up to her, putting his hands on her shoulders to make her stop pacing. "Relax. We're going to find it. Is there any other place we haven't checked yet?"

Her eyes wandered down as she thought before they widen in realization. "There is one place..." she admitted, then looked back at him. "Yen Sid's Tower. But I can't bring you. I'm not allowed to let strangers in."

"Oh come on," he said loosely. "It's not going to hurt anyone if I go in. I don't have magic powers. I'm not a stranger. You know me. What do you say?"

Rowena bit her lip, staring at her black flats. Yen Sid specifically warned her after she accepted the apprenticeship to never allow anyone into the tower without permission or supervision. That there would be strict consequences if she disobeyed. Allowing a stranger into a tower could be fatal. But...she knew Barek her whole life and she trusted him. What harm could there be by bringing him into the tower?

Lifting her head, she nodded. "Ok. Just stick with me."

Barek smiled. In silent agreement, they made their way across the room. Rowena stopped at the door and turned back to Barek with a serious expression, pointing her finger up like a teacher. "And don't touch anything."

Barek mocked salute her as they left the room. "You got it, General."

Rowena laughed, both of them walking down the hallway towards the tower. This brings us back to Pete and the Beagle Boys in the closet. It was only until the two turned a corner did they got out of the closet, practically falling out. Sneakily, the party crashers trailed after them, following their voices.

"So tell me more of this magician who stood in after Mama Juju."

"Not much to tell except his magic tricks were very, impressive."

* * *

In another part of the castle, Oswald and the twins searched for Rowena and her friend, some being silly about it. Jeremy leaned out a window with Calvin holding onto his shirt. "See anything?"

"Just the party in the courtyard. Oh, and there's that dancer from the cobbler's shop."

Calvin glanced out the window, letting go of his brother and moving closer to the window. "For real?" What he didn't notice was that Jeremy was starting to fall out. "Calvin!"

"Oops." Quickly, he grabbed him, Jeremy's feet an inch off the floor. Hearing yelling, Oswald ran over and helped bring Jeremy back in.

"Ok," Oswald started, closing the window shut. "Enough of looking outside. Let's focus of looking inside the castle."

Jokingly, they stiffen up and saluted smartly with goofy grins plastered on their faces. "Sir, yes, sir."

Oswald frowned, giving off a bored expression that read 'oh brother.' Sometimes he can't fathom how these two can handle horses, or how they were hired in the first place. Suddenly, a noise made his ear flicker, gaining his attention. "You guys hear that?"

"The pipes?"

"The music?"

"No," he shushed them, directing his body toward the creaking noise. It was coming down the corridor somewhere. "It must be that Barney guy."

Calvin tilted his head slightly, making a slightly confused face. Jeremy furrowed his eyebrow, his expression more of a disapproving one. "That's his name?" They asked at the same time.

Oswald ignored the question, waving a paw dismissively at them. He started rushing forward, motioning for them to follow which they did. "C'mon, we'll ambush him."

* * *

Lillie peered around the castle wall and looked down the hallway. So far so good. With everything happening outside there were fewer guards inside the castle walls and that meant less of an obstacle for her. Not that it really mattered, she'd been through worse. And somehow she always got out of it. With a smirk she let her fingers lightly touch her lips. She'd just applied a new coat of ruby red lipstick onto her now slightly swollen lips. The guard hadn't known what had hit him when she'd sauntered into the office, tight red dress hiked up to her mid thigh and her four inch heels clicking maliciously against the stone floor.

Now she was here, pulling her dress as far down as it would go and praying that she'd be able to walk another step with her aching feet. Looking down the hallway once more she nodded to herself and began to sneak down. As an extra precaution she took off her heels. The stone was cold on her bare feet, but it was a price to pay for silence.

What she was here for was a simple look at The Book. The book of magic that was held in the castle. She heard it mentioned in some bar, saying it was top secret and only those worthy got to use its spells. Of course, in reporter talk, the book might as well have grown hands, waved them around and screamed "ME ME ME! LOOK AT ME!" And now, here she was. She took a few more steps. Waiting to feel the familiar buzz hit her skin. Sometimes she loved being magic intolerant-SOMETIMES. Most of the time it was a nuisance but very rarely did it help her. The more magic the object in question gave off, the more she could sense it. It was like being a hound dog.

"Um... what are you doing?"

Lillie spun around so fast her head hurt, and her fingers immediately grabbed at the edges of her dress to pull it down, though it did nothing for the top that was revealing enough as it was. "Who the hell are you?"

The black and white rabbit was taken aback, then he scowled. "I should ask you the same."

Lillie raised one ebony eyebrow. "I'm getting information. For a column."

"You're a reporter."

"Journalist, actually." She made no move to give away anything else, so he went for the kill.

"How did you sneak past the guard? They're high security! Some of the best!"

She scoffed. "Then get better ones. All I had to do was smile at him and he fell over. And trust me, sweetie, I did more than just smile at him."

Oswald took note of her short, tight dress and bold makeup and felt himself blush. "Yeah," he mumbled, "I can tell."

"I agree with the girl!"

"Yeah, the guards aren't that good!"

Lillie jumped around again, this time a short scream bubbling from her throat and she moved to lash out at the "attackers". They both jumped back in time, grinning like fools. "Ooh!" The right one chortled, "nice right swing."

"Yeah," the left one smirked, "for a girl." he was on his back in an instant, a bare foot planted squarely on his chest.

"How's this for a girl," Lillie snarled at him, not in the mood for any more of anything besides work. Things were not in her favor, however, when she was grab from behind and lifted up, legs kicking. "Hey!"

"Whoa! We got a wild one here!" He barely avoided the elbow aimed for his face. "Calvin, help!"

"I'm on it." He rolled out under them and stood up, moving forward to grab her legs. Instead, he got a kick in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He hunched over, clutching his midsection. "Man, she's got a good kick too," he wheezed.

"Consider that karma for letting me almost fall out the window," Jeremy said, before Lillie threw her heels into his face. He cried out, his right eye shut tight, but he kept his grip on her. Oswald, seeing how the two twins were getting beat up, let his ears covered his eyes and had an expression that said 'oh, that's gotta hurt.' Calvin finally recovered and, after struggling a bit, grabbed her ankles. Now Lillie was swinging around like a hammock between the two holding her up, struggling. "Put me down now!"

"Sorry missy, but-" Jeremy started, then Calvin continued for him.

"-We're gonna have to take you to the king."

Oswald stepped in then, his arms out. "But what about Rowena and her friend?"

"First we have to take care of _this _party crasher." The twins nodded in Lillie's direction, hanging limply now.

Breathing heavily, Oswald complied waving an ebony hand. "Fine, you're right, but let's make this quick."

"Could you at least get my stuff?" Lillie yelled, trying a last attempt of jerking free to no avail. Oswald bend down to pick up her heels and the red purse that slipped off during the struggle. His feet pounded against the floor as he rushed up to catch up with the odd train of twins carrying the journalist, not knowing what was happening near the Tower.

* * *

Up in the Mysterious Tower, Rowena was leading Barek up the staircase after lowering the magic barrier. She looked back to see him pausing to gaze at the in-show solar system, fascinated. Smiling, she took his hand in hers and led him up the rest of the way.

She peaked inside the room before pushing the door wide open, Barek next to her. "Welcome to the Mysterious Tower of Master Yen Sid," she said, smiling. Barek took note of the desk, the bookcases, and magical artifacts around the room. Rowena was a few steps in while Barek closed the door, leaving it a quarter of an inch open. While the sorceress trainee was reliving her movements in here to help her search, Barek wandered over to the desk. A few papers were laid across it and a key, but he was more interested with the pile of books on the right. They were hard covered and clothed, each with a different color; the top one was a sky blue with stars decorating its cover, the second was a light purple, and the bottom was a midnight black. He ran his fingers over the first book, feeling the golden-crusted letters. "What's this?"

Rowena spun around, her eyes landing on Barek's hand touching Yen Sid's books. "Please don't touch those!" She hurried over, carefully taking his hand off. Her hand lingered there a moment before letting go, blushing a bit.

"Sorry, it's just that those are pretty important," she explained.

Barek kept his eyes on the books, transfixed somewhat. "Is that the Book of Legendary Spells and Incantations?" When Rowena didn't answer he quickly added, "I heard some wizards talking about it around town. Well, I assumed they were wizards."

"Oh," Rowena said, all right with the explanation. "Well, actually, the Book of Spells is underneath. That's the Stories of Legends. You see, Yen Sid would write an event that has happened within each world down in this book, cataloging their heroes' stories so as to not forget them."

"Incredible," he murmured then glanced at Rowena. "Does he let you read it?"

She shrugged. "Once in a while. Sometimes I sneak a peek without permission."

He smirked impishly. "Look at you, being such a rebel." She playfully hit his arm as he laughed, giggling a bit as well.

"Laugh all you want. I find the other worlds fascinating."

"Why don't you just go to one?"

She frowned. "Yen Sid says I'm not ready yet. That I must learn to have absolute control of my magic. Even then, it is forbidden to interact with anyone on a different world."

"You mean you would have to stay invisible and hide in the shadows?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

He made a disapproving expression, making a noise that sounded like an 'hmm' in the back of his throat. "That's no fun. Only fun thing about that is the thrill of almost getting caught. Which would be most of the time for you."

She made a appalled expression, but she was smiling. "Cut it out," she smirked, hitting him in the arm again.

Rubbing his arm, Barek stared at her, smiling softly. "Did I tell you how happy I am to see you again?"

Rowena's mood changed, ducking her head down away from him. She moved a bit away, but Barek just followed with a concerned look. He put his hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"To be honest, I thought that you would still be upset if you ever saw me again."

"We were kids back then."

"We still are."

"True. But taller. More mature. In more ways than one. And we're not exactly the same people three years ago. You weren't a sorceress back then.

"I'm still not technically a sorceress. Haven't really gotten my diploma yet, so to speak.

He snapped his fingers as if he realized something. "Right. The apprenticeship."

"Right." Rowena smiled a bit, then realized they were in front of the windows. Barek must have guided her over while they were talking. The party below could be seen high up by the sill, people looking like big ants. A hand went under her chin and lifted her head so she was gazing at Barek's face, feeling her cheeks grow warm with the closeness between them. His gray eyes stare into her hazel ones, his callused hand stroke her hair tenderly. "I really did miss you. I would think about you often, whether if I'll ever see you again, or what life would've been if you didn't went away. Now, you're right here before me. The same sweet, clumsy girl who was the only friend I've ever had. "

"Barek..." she breathed, unsure what to say. The space between them seemed to be disappearing as her heart raced. She didn't know what to do. Here was someone she hoped to see again, like life was giving her a second chance for something that could have happened if she stayed with him at the circus. One part of her though, the back of her brain was whispering something she couldn't hear. She never got the message clear as their lips meet, the world melting away as she closed her eyes.

It seemed to last forever, that one simple, gentle, warm kiss.

Then a crash was heard from outside the room.

Swiftly, she broke away from him and swung towards to the direction of the noise. "What was that?"

"What was what?" He didn't look where she was which was the now open door. Yelling echoed off the walls from down below them.

"There's someone down there," she said urgently. "We have to investigate."

Before he could protest, Rowena grabbed Barek's wrist and dragged him behind her as she ran out of the room, down the stairs, and out the exit to the corridor. When she opened the door, she gaped at the scene.

Three humanoid dogs in black cloaks and a very obese humanoid cat were before the teenagers, the big one jumping around like crazy as something ran around under his shirt. His minions, meanwhile, were backed into a corner by a snarling, growling Pluto. The cat kept patting himself, trying to squish the bump. "Get this rat off me!"

Rowena was alarmed. These men must be some kind of robbers meant to steal while the place was vacant. She had to do something, use her magic to protect herself and Barek. She pushed Barek away from the door. "Stand back, Barek!"

"What are you doing?"

"These guys are obviously hostile and here to break into the tower. I have to stop them." Then she slammed the entrance to the tower shut and slapped her hand upon the oaken door. "_Obserare!" _Purple wisps of magic shot from her hand as the door briefly lit up.

"What did you just do!" Barek cried, sounding freaked out.

"Magic." Rowena whipped around to the criminals as the large one finally got the thing out of his shirt. It was a small, grey chinchilla. It looks like her pet, Riley gotten out of his cage again and Pluto must have been chasing him too, which explains why the dog was not with his master. Just as the big guy was about to wring Riley's little neck, Rowena screamed out, "_Funis-Is Vinculum!"_

Immediately, purple tendrils shot out of her fingertips and slammed into the intruders. The three Pluto had cornered were forced against a beam, tied to it by the now formed rope. Riley was flung into the air as the large one landed on his face, tied up hog-style. Rowena threw her arms out, catching the small bundle of fur as he came down. Panting, she smiled as she held her chinchilla close to her, soothing him as he started to cooed. "I did it. I did the spell and caught those guys."

Barek put an arm around her. "Nice work. You, and this feisty little guy." He reached a hand towards Riley, the animal thrusting his nose forward to get a hint of the boy's scent. Then he bit his finger before it made contact with his fur.

"Ow!" Barek jerked back, shaking his hand out with the cut finger. Rowena scowled down at the rodent in her arms.

"Riley, no. Bad chinchilla, bad." She was about to apologized to Barek when Pluto jumped onto him and clamped his teeth onto his jacket. Surprised and upset by the animals hostile behavior toward her friend, she placed Riley on the marble floor and grip onto Pluto's collar. "Stop it, Pluto! Let go!" After a few tugs and a forceful jerk, she hauled Pluto off Barek, his jacket ripping in the process.

Rowena pushed Pluto, who still had the fabric in his mouth, off of her and rushed over to help Barek up. "I'm so sorry about Riley and Pluto, usually they are not like-" Her eyes drifted down. "-this."

She trailed off as she stared down at the silver charm bracelet and sliver key among the bits of ripped scraps of fabric. She bent down and picked them up, her gaze turning back to Barek. "What's this?"

"A bracelet and a key," he said, as if it was obvious.

She shook her head, disbelief in her eyes. "This is Master Yen Sid's key. It was on his desk. And my bracelet that I lost. Why were they in your pocket?"

Barek looked behind him for a second, laughing nervously. By this time, Pluto had run off to get help, Riley following him. "Rowena, c'mon. Shouldn't we be more worried about these guys?"

"Answer the question," she commanded, "Why were these items. In. Your. Pocket."

He hesitated, his mouth moving like a gold-fish. Finally, his head drooped and shook, laughing softly. When he looked back up, a dark grin crossed his features, looking amused. The shadow over his face scared Rowena, making her take a step back. "Just so you know, this wasn't supposed to happen."

Before she could screamed for help, Barek seized her with one arm around her and pressed a funny smelling handkerchief into her mouth and nose area. She struggled as her vision blurred, then darkness took over as her body went limped.

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun! Cliffhanger!**

**What will happen next you wonder? It's a bit cruel of me to leave you hanging like this. Especially since it will be a while. Hey, I got other stories needing updating.**

**And Blackraven88, Kristen will come must likely in three chapters.**

**Remember to review. Reviews help me to go on.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long. Please do not send the angry mob at me. I promised you'll get a lot of laughs from this chapter and a *gasps* at the end. I hope. I like to thank Galimatias and my new beta reader Manias 3.0. You guys rock! And to start, I'm gonna have Lillie here do the disclaimer.**

**Lillie: Myst doesn't own Disney or me. Just her OCs. **

**Thanks, Lillie.**

**Lillie: Yeah, just get on with the chapter already.**

**Ok. Here it is.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Running into Action**

Barek hauled the out-cold and gagged Rowena into a broom closet by the arms, thinking how he always ended up doing the dirty work in these operations. All he wanted was to earn a few bucks and get out of here as fast as possible. The plan was simple; he was to distract Little Miss Magic Rowena and trick her into leading him into the tower which would resolute to the barrier opening up like a stage curtain and allow those boneheads through. Swiping the key was easy, just like taking her bracelet. Making sure that Rowena was distracted enough so Pete could swipe the book-well that was easy too. Everything was going according to plan up until his idiotic employer started screeching like a banshee. So, instead of ditching the witch in the crowd outside in the courtyard like planned, he had to knock her out and tie her wrists together along with a strip of cloth around her mouth. With a loud thud, he dropped her and she slumped onto the floor like a ragged doll. Barek stepped around her still form and slammed the door shut, feeling ticked off inside. After giving his shoulder a quick wipe as if to rid himself of invisible dust, Barek sent a cold glare at Pete.

"Way to screw up, man," he said in a flat tone.

"It wasn't my fault!" Pete defended himself as he and the Beagle Boys followed the expert thief to a more secluded area. "That rat came outta nowhere and these dim-wits were too scared by that mutt ta help me." He jabbed a thumb behind him, indicating to his minions.

Barek just waved his poor excuses aside like it was a pesky fly buzzing around his ear. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just get this over with so I can get paid and never see you again." Under his breath, he muttered. "Morons."

Pete scowled, but held his tongue. He still needed this kid's help.

Barek halted before a door, station down at the end of a lone hallway with little light. Pete barely fit through the narrow space, the Beagle Boys having to pushed him forward once when his belly got stuck. Twirling the key a bit in his hand, Barek inserted the metal into the keyhole and twisted it to the left. _Click._

Creaking, the door swung open, showing a long set of stairs leading down to the basement. Barek grinned, bringing out a flashlight from his pocket before turning it on. "Let's go."

He started to descend down to the darkness far below.

* * *

Lillie huffed in annoyance and frustration. She was in the king's private study, sitting on an lavish chair with her chin in her hands, frowning with her lips in a thin line. She was slouched over as those two ginger twins were hovering over her, wearing tough expressions that looked goofy on their mischief features. Their glares weren't intimidating either, more like a child pouting after being refused a cookie. One of them, Jeremy or something circled around her with his arms crossed. "So..." he began slowly, "You ready to talk or what?"

Lillie straightened herself up and put on her poker face. "What."

The other twin put his hand on the chair's arm, a mock scowl on his face. "He said, you ready to-"

"I heard him," Lillie cut him off, moving away as far as she could in her seat from the young man's closeness. Haven't these guys ever heard of personal space?

"Ok guys. Leave her alone." Oswald (surprisingly) came to her rescue and shoo them a few inches away. "The sooner Mickey gets here, the sooner we can search for Rowena." He exhaled heavily, rubbing the back of his head worryingly. "I can't help but feel something's bad is about to happen."

"Like what?" Calvin asked.

"Like some-dangerous-enemies-waking-up-from-the dead-and-tries-to-destroy-us-all bad."

"Oh, come on. That's ridiculous."

They turned their attention back to Lillie, who was leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed. She threw her arms out, exasperated. "I mean, what are the chances of that happening?"

Oswald stared blankly at her for a moment, then shook his head. "I just feel uneasy, that's all." He tugged his ear, a nervous habit of his. Calvin, making Lillie jumped back by his quickness, hopped onto the armrest of her chair with his arms cross, face somewhat serious.

"So, what were you doing snooping around the castle? What were you searching for, huh?"

Lillie, however, just sent an annoyed glare his way. "I don't have to answer to you."

"Then how about ya tell me."

Everyone turned their heads towards the door to see Mickey, an stern expression on his face and his hands on his hips with his foot tapping. Donald and Goofy were right behind him in the doorway, curious as to who this girl was. Goofy scratched his head, before pointing at Lillie.

"Uh, is that Rowena's friend?"

"No, ya dummy!" Donald quacked at him. "That's that nosy reporter! The one that was always causing trouble!"

"Hey! I'm a journalist!" Lillie exclaimed from her seat, hands on hips. However, she was ignored as the famous trio came inside. Oswald glanced over their shoulder then looked at Mickey.

"Where's Ortensia?"

"She and Max are outside with Minnie and Yen Sid. They're helping keeping the crowd busy in my absence," Mickey explained. Then he turned to Lillie, walking towards her until her was a few paces away from her. He crossed his arms, frowning at her in disapproval.

"Care to explain why you're here, Lillie?"

Seeing as she might as well tell the truth, she replied in a slightly snarky tone in her voice, "I was looking for a story is all."

"Inside the castle?" Donald questioned more like accusing her of something. "While everyone's outside? If you really were looking for a story, the festival outside would be the place any reporter would go to."

Lillie rolled her eyes, getting more snarky. "Yeah, that's why I'm not out there. Everyone on the journalist team will be hounding that party, but nobody will be writing about that book."

Mickey's eyes twitched slightly. "What book?"

Lillie froze, not meaning to mention anything of the book. She didn't mean to let that slip. She pressed her lips together tightly that they turned white. Her eyes wandered around the room, catching sight of Oswald's face dawning in quick realization.

"You're talking about the Book of Spells, aren't ya!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at her. "How did you know about it?"

Lillie smacked his hand away, annoyed. "First off, didn't anyone tell you pointing at someone is rude? Second, yes I know about it. I heard some guy and giant cat talking about it at a bar, and so I-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Oswald cried, waving his hands. Then he closed his hands minus both of his index fingers which were pointing to the ceiling, his tone taking on a cautious one. "Did you say some guy and giant cat?"

"Yes," Lillie said, slowly.

"Did you recognize any of them?" Mickey asked, getting worried himself.

"The giant cat I did. I remembered one time in the office he was dragged out by security after he assaulted David for something he'd written. He was yelling all the way to the elevator and before the doors closed, he screamed very loudly that it's still ringing in ears."

"And it was..." Mickey pressed.

"He said 'Nobody messes with the mighty Pete!' or something like that."

"PETE!"

Lillie winced at the loud volume, sending a quick glare at everyone. Mickey, Oswald, and Goofy had taken a step back while Donald had jumped up in surprise.

"That dummy is here?!" Donald quacked, stomping his webbed feet.

"I didn't say that, just that I heard it from him."

Oswald pushed Donald out of the way and asked Lillie in a serious voice. "What about the other guy? Who was he?"

"I don't know," Lillie replied, getting fed up with having question after question thrown at her. However, Oswald wasn't done yet.

"Can you at least describe what he look like?"

Lillie thought for a moment before replying. "Well, he looked like some kind of younger version of that guy from that pirate movie, younger than me by a few years and longer hair than me, but I couldn't see his face." She paused before continuing. "Wait-he had this tattoo, on the back of his hand." She demonstrated by tapping the back of her own hand. "It was three circles over lapping each other in a sort of triangle formation, and there was a dagger or something like that in the middle of it, like it was piercing those circles together. And that's all I can remember."

Thinking, Oswald's eyes drifted towards the floor. "A dagger and three circles..." He mumbled, before his eyes widen in remembrance. His mind briefly lit up to the memory of Rowena ramming into Barek and the back of the boy's hand spread out on the floor just like the rest of him. Etched in blue ink was a tattoo, a tattoo consisting of three circles and a dagger.

Oswald's face hardened, gritting his teeth. "Barek," he spat, then he slammed a fist into his hand. "I knew there was something fishy about that guy."

"Hold up." Oswald turned to see Mickey right behind him. "Who's Barek?"

"He's-" Oswald was interrupted when the doors swung open and Pluto came running in, barking loudly. Everyone moved out of the way as he rushed towards Mickey. Mickey tried to tell Pluto to stop, but his dog rammed into him. They slid across the marble floor, Oswald getting caught in the process. Yelling, they came to a stop when they rammed into Lillie, flipping the chair onto its back and all four ended up in an awkward, jumbled mess. Mickey sat up from his place on Lillie's back, glaring at Pluto who was on top of a dizzy Oswald.

"Pluto!" he scolded, hands on his hips, "What's gotten into you? And get off of Oswald, will ya?"

Smiling sheepishly, Pluto stepped off Oswald who was shaking his head clear. Mickey also got off Lillie's back, then he offered a hand to help her up. Lillie ignored it and got up herself, then proceeded to dust herself off. Pluto started barking again, pacing around uneasily.

"Pluto," Mickey said, trying to get his dog to calm down, "What's wrong?"

"I think I know what it is," Oswald stood up, walking over to Pluto. "It's Pete, isn't it?"

Pluto nodded, his black ears flopping up and down.

"Pete's here!" Donald quacked, jumping a bit.

"How did he get in?" Goofy questioned out loud.

The twins glanced at each other briefly, sharing a look. "It's like we said." Calvin started.

"The guards aren't that good." Jeremy finished.

"No offense Goofy."

Goofy shrugged. "None taken."

"We gotta go and stop Pete if he's really here!" Mickey proclaimed, stepping up. "Calvin, Jeremy, stay here and keep an eye on Lillie. Me, Donald, Goofy, and Oswald will go and stop Pete before he causes any trouble."

"Somehow I think he already has, Mick," Oswald commented, following his brother and his two best friends to the door. However they were stopped when Goofy suddenly paused.

"Wait a minute! What if we hafta fight? We can't really do that with our party gear." He gestured towards the clothing they were wearing.

"Who cares?" Donald quacked, almost shouted. "We have no time to change."

"That from the court magician?" Everyone looked at the twins, each leaning an arm against the chair that Lillie was sitting in after bringing it back up. Jeremy shook his head slightly as if disappointed by Donald's lack of skills. "Honestly, Donald, would it be that long to snap your fingers to conjure fighting outfits?" He rubbed his thumb and index finger at the word snap.

"Face it, Jer," Calvin said to his brother, mockingly sympathetic, "Our old dear duck has simply lost his touch with the arts. Oh, Merlin helps us if he could never make a rabbit appear from a hat again."

Hearing this, Donald began to lose his temper as, feet stomping that he was practically jumping, he let out a loud 'QUACCCK!' that force his friends to cover their ears. He summoned a crooked staff with a wizard's hat on top before pointing it at the twins. "I'll show you!"

With that, he waved his wand into the air and _poof! _He and the other three were in different outfits now. Mickey looked down at himself. "Our old musketeer's uniforms?"

"You guys actually wore these before?" Oswald asked, tugging at the blue sash with a yellow crown in the middle he was wearing.

"Uh, guys?" Jeremy called catching their attention. Calvin pointed to the door. Remembering the task at hand, they rushed out the door with Pluto leading the way. The twins could hear Mickey's voice as he ordered Pluto to lead them to Pete. Calvin breathed out of his nose, flaring it a bit. Then he looked at his brother.

"What do we do now?"

"Well...if we didn't have to watch this girl, I would suggest we follow them and partake in the action."

"Man that would've been fun."

Jeremy sighed. "Yeah, it would of."

"Jer?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it just me, or has Lillie been awfully quiet?"

They looked at each other before glancing down, seeing nothing but an empty cushion between them on the sofa. "Oops." They both said together. Lillie must of sneaked off and, since journalists are always desperate for a story (at least in their opinion), she must have followed the king and others to a possible fight with bad guys. After a quick glance at the door, Jeremy and Calvin smirked at each other. "Do we dare?"

"Oh, yes, we dare."

With that, they raced out the door like children on Christmas morning, eager to find what awaits them.

* * *

Connor was dead meat. Worst than dead meat, he's going to be toast and unemployed if anyone found that saucy reporter in the short, tight dress roaming around where she shouldn't. In his two-years of training in the military, he had no idea how to avoid being swindled by a girl. A pretty girl, but that doesn't matter.

It was a bit blurry, but he remembered one minute he was standing at the West Garden Gate with an alertness like a hawk, then that girl came striding towards him with her hips swinging and her hair fluttering gently in the breeze. Next thing Connor knows she is flirting and more with him, something wet trickled down his nostril as he grew flustered and tongue-tied, and a pain rocked his head as he woke up laying flat on the ground on his back. Now here he was, running around the castle searching for a short girl who was like 20-something judging by her features.

Connor stopped to catch his breath, leaning against the wall with his head tilted back. Staring at the ceiling, he ground his teeth together in frustration. "I'm such an idiot!" He mumbled to himself. "I swear, once I find that girl, I'll personally escort her to jail. Is there anything else that can go wrong?"

As if to answer his question, Connor heard a noise beside him. It seemed it came from behind the door to the closet next to him. The noise sounded like a person groaning after waking up from a deep sleep. The young guard pushed away from the wall and tried to push the door open, but it didn't budge. Exhaling, he decided to use more of a physical force. Positioning himself back a few paces, Connor ready his arm and patted his elbow.

"It's go time," he muttered before yelling as he charged forward.

Upon impact, instead of the door giving away, the young guard crashed against the stolid wood and was ricocheted back. Groaning, he sat up and rubbed his elbow that was already turning black and blue. Looking back at the door, he noticed the sign on top that said 'Pull' and mentally kicked himself for not thinking that.

Getting up, he grasped the door handle and pulled the door open. Peeking inside, his stormy blue eyes widen in surprise.

"Rowena?"

Rowena's head drooped to the side and rested against her shoulder, her blearily eyes staring up at him. She looked really drowsy, like she was having a hard time keeping awake. Connor stood there for a moment before realizing he was just standing there doing nothing. "Rowena!" He immediately went to her side and gently pushed her into a sitting position. She gasped for breath when he pulled the gag off, coughing. "Connor...there's an intruder..."

"Yeah, I already know," Connor interrupted her, cutting her bonds loose with a pocketknife. He pull Rowena's arm around his neck, helping her to her feet. "But don't worry, once I get you to the infirmary-"

"No," she protested, pushing away a bit, "There's no time. I know where they're going and we have to stop them before they escape."

"Wait, you don't mean..." He trailed off, already knowing the answer as he looked at her grim expression.

She nodded solemnly. "I do."

Connor grimaced, sucking in air through his teeth. "That's bad." Knowing time was limited and he might need a sorcerer after all, Connor lifted the still slightly drowsy Rowan up bridled style and started to rushed down the corridors to the door they both knew the intruders had gone to. "All right, we'll work together on this. Just try to stay awake, ok?"

"Yeah," she croaked out, her eyes half closed. "How did you know there was an intruder?"

Connor looked away from her, ashamed. "I had a run-in with them firsthand. Long story short, I was knocked out, same as you."

* * *

Down deep in the basements of the castle, torches glowed in the darkness as shadows danced along the walls and webs hung from the ceiling. Suddenly, the door leading inside to this murky place creak open and out spilled Pete and his minions, panting and out of breath. Pete wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his arm. "That…mouse…needs ta…putta…elevator in."

Barek leaned slightly against the door jam, also tired from the long flight but keeping his dignity. "Those stairs…now that was just ridiculous."

Getting his bearings together, he straightened up and examined the room from where he stood. Standing in the center of the room, stood a large object with a white sheet covering it, rectangle in shape. Barek stared at it, moving his way past his group towards the object. He stopped before it, his eyes never leaving the white material. Slowly, his hand enclosed around a piece of the fabric, feeling the coolness of it. Then in one swift movement, he pulled the sheet off. A beautifully carved wardrobe stood before him now, its panels made of oak.

"A wardrobe?" Pete broke the silence. "Tha's our ticket out of here? How would somethin' like that take us ta another world?"

"It's infused with magic," Barek said, running his hand along the wood's surface. "It should be able to take us anywhere."

"It sure is pretty," said one of the Beagle Boys as they and Pete stood behind the boy. Another knocked on the surface.

"Solid, too."

"Ah, just open the stinkin' thing so we can get outta this place," Pete demanded, losing his patience.

Barek scoffed but comply, bringing the key out. "Fine, but remember, once we are in this new world, you pay what you owe me and we go our separate ways. Deal?"

"Yeah, deal. Now open it!"

Barek rolled his eyes as he inserted the key into the lock. Before he could turn it, a clatter was heard behind him and Pete's group followed by a crash. They swiftly turned around, facing the doorway.

"What the-"

On the ground at the base of the stairs, Rowena and some guy with copper blonde hair were lying flat on the ground, wincing in pain. Rowena was struggling to get up, still feeling the effects of chloroform. The guy, on the other hand, quickly got to his feet and looked surprised when he saw the people before him.

"Who are these guys?" He asked Rowena, who was now on her feet.

She placed her hand on the wall, using it for balanced. "They're the intruders."

Connor glanced at the bad guys, then back to Rowena, then again to Pete and Barek. "But I thought we only had to deal with a girl in a red dress? How did these guys get in?"

"Wait," Rowena said, confused. "So, you didn't get knocked out by Barek?"

"No, some girl seduced me," Connor explained, immediately feeling his face flush.

"Well, that explains why he was lying on the ground with his nose bleeding," Barek muttered, thinking back to when he entered through the side garden entrance. Then in a louder voice, he asked, "How did you manage to find us?"

"You left the door open," Connor said drily.

Barek glared at Pete who in return glared at the Beagle Boys who pointed fingers at each other.

"Plus, I knew where that key unlocks to." Rowena called, gaining their attention. She stared at Barek, her face stern and her eyes full of emotion. "Yen Sid told me long ago."

"Just like how to lower the barrier to the tower," Barek retorted.

Rowena clutched her hand and push away from the wall, preparing herself to use magic. "He also taught me how to catch heartless thieves."

Rowena's legs shook as she stood, ready to cast a spell. She raised her arm, her eyebrows furrowed together-and fell promptly flat on the ground. Apparently, the chloroform was a lot stronger than she thought on her. Pete and his lackeys burst out laughing, clutching their sides.

"How pathetic," Pete snickered.

Connor step in front of Rowena's form and unsheathed his sword, standing tall like a guard of Disney would. "By order of the King of Disney, you are all under arrest for stealing, assault, and breaking and entering into the castle. Come peacefully or I'll have no choice but to use force."

"Ya think you can stop us?" Pete taunted, him and the Beagle Boys bringing out their weapons as well. "I'll say those chances are slim."

"Unlike you, fatty!"

Pete looked up in time to see a rabbit's foot before it connected to his face, making him fall back. Barek and the Beagle Boys back away as, from behind the wardrobe, Mickey, Donald and Goofy rushed out, weapons out and standing protectively in front of the wardrobe. Pluto barred his teeth and growled at the intruders, standing next to his master. Oswald landed next to Goofy, no sword in hand but fists up and ready. Pete and his gang were surrounded, Mickey and his friends blocking the wardrobe while Connor blocked the exit.

Pete got up, glaring at Mickey. "How did you get down here? We didn't see you come down the stairs."

"We took the elevator," Goofy answered.

"Oh, ya gotta be kiddin' me."

"Surrender, Pete! You're outnumbered!" Mickey cried, aiming his sword at the cat's face. Barek slowly moved his hand to his pocket as Pete talked.

"Ya think I'll give up tha' easily, mouse? Hmph, well I got news for yous, I'm goin' through tha there wardrobe no matter what."

"Not if we can help it!" Donald proclaimed, waving his weapon in his hand. "You great, big jack-"

At that moment, Barek swiftly threw something to the ground and smoke immediately spread across the room, blinding everyone. Shouting and metal meeting metal could be heard along with whacks and thumps.

In all the confusion, Lillie crept down the stairs and stood in the doorway, a camera in hand. She growled at the lack of visibility. How was she going to take pictures if there's smoke everywhere? Thinking, she jumped when she felt something breathing on her neck. She whipped around to see the ginger twins behind her. Lillie glared at them.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed at them.

"We should be asking you that," Calvin retorted.

"But we already know the answer," Jeremy said. "To see what's going on."

"And maybe lend a hand." Calvin grimaced at the scene. "From the sounds of things, my best bet is the bad guys are winning."

"Ten bucks you're wrong."

"Deal." Calvin and Jeremy shook hands. Lillie merely rolled her eyes, then she stifled a shriek as a body jumped out of the smoke and crashed into the wall before slumping to the ground, moaning in pain.

Connor lifted his head, catching sight of the people in the doorway. His eyes zeroed in on Lillie and his face hardened in anger and surprise. "You!"

Surprised to see the guard she used her seduction act on here, Lillie responded back. "You!"

"You!" Calvin cried, pointing at his brother.

"Her," Jeremy gestured towards Lillie. Then Calvin gestured at Connor.

"Him."

"Them!" They said together, the edges of the mouths quirking up.

Connor climbed to his feet, rubbing his back from where someone kicked him. "You, miss, are under arrest for trespassing."

"Dude, there's a battle going on and you're worried about this chick?" Jeremy exclaimed. Connor looked back at the smokescreen and grimaced. He turned back to the group.

"Seeing as this could be dangerous, I'm ordering you to go back up stairs."

"Sure you don't want us to help?" Calvin asked. "Looks like you could use some."

"Unless you can clear the fog, go back upstairs," Calvin ordered. Calvin and Jeremy shared a look before each of them brought out a fan and flipped them on. The blades started to spin, going faster and making the smoke diminished away. Once clear, they could see Mickey and Oswald fighting Pete and Donald and Goofy fighting the Beagle Boys, Rowena standing in the middle of the chaos. Then, along with Rowena, they caught sight of Barek in front of the wardrobe, the doors wide open.

"No!" Rowena's arm shot out towards Barek, as if thinking she could reach him from where she stood. Instead, a sphere of purple magic hurled out of her hand, flying towards Barek.

He whipped to see the oncoming projection, a trail of light streaking behind it. Without thinking, he dove to the side, dodging it just in time as it sailed into the wardrobe. As soon as it connected with the oak, an explosion of light emitted out, throwing everyone off their feet.

Mickey looked up to see a sphere of energy gathering inside the wardrobe, shaking uncontrollably, his eyes widen in fear. "Uh oh." he muttered before he shielded his eyes from the light that was growing brighter. In a sonic boom, the sphere spread out like a tsunami wave, covering everything in its path all the way to the doorway. Then as suddenly as it came, the light vanished, leaving the room silent.

Goofy and Donald open their eyes, Donald's staff held high above his head. As he brought it down, an invisible barrier broke down from around them. The duck had on an impulse cast a spell to protect him and the Captain of the Royal Guards from the wave. Their heads swiveled around, examining the room. Goofy broke the silence.

"Where did all of them go?"

"The wardrobe!" Donald rushed over to the dismantled structure, wood charred and tendrils of smoke floating into the air. "It's destroyed! The magic was too much for it."

"Uh no!" Goofy jumped, concluding what must of happened. "That magic wave musta sent everyone to a different world."

Donald placed an wing on the pile, uttering a silent spell to find the answer of everyone's disappearance. Then his eyes dimmed, removing his hand. "I-I can't see anything." He turned back to Goofy who was standing over him. "But they're still alive." He twisted back to stare at the pile of wood. "Somewhere."

They were silent for a moment, Goofy hovering over Donald with an worried expression on his face. Both were sadden and worried for their friends. "What are we gonna do?"

Donald jumped up, his face set in determination. "We gotta go tell Master Yen Sid! He'll know what to do and how to find them."

With that, they raced up the stairs, leaving the room empty saved for the broken up wardrobe.

* * *

**Lillie: What the heck happened?**

**Don't worry, we'll find out in the next chapter.**

**Lillie: Which won't come out for another year.**

**2013 everyone will have to wait. Can't believe it will be '13. Like Organization 13, so it will be like the year of Roxas because he's number 13 in rank.**

**Lillie: Nerd.**

**Hey, don't forget I can have horrible stuff happen to you in this story, Lillie.**

**Lillie: It already happened to me. You had me get sucked into some vortex.**

**Yeah, anyway remember to review and check out my poll.**

**See ya~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Myst: Hey everyone! I can't believe it's already been three months. **

**Oswald: Can't believe you had us leaning on this for that long.**

**Myst: Hey, I have other personal matters to attend to, I had an excuse.**

**Oswald: Tell that to the angry mob outside.**

**Myst: *takes a peak outside through a gap in the door and then quickly jerk back as flaming arrows hit the opposite wall.* My gosh, I almost got flamed. Literally. **

**Oswald: Just get on with the chapter already.**

**Myst: All right. You do disclaimer.**

**Oswald: *sighs* Myst and Freak don' own Disney. Many thanks to her beta reader, Manias 3.0. Rowena belongs to MysteryGirl7Freak Productions.**

**Myst: Now, let's find out what had happened to our heroes and bad guys!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: A New Land**

The soft carpet of grass against her cheek was the first thing she noticed as she came to. Rowena's eyes fluttered open, seeing shades of green and blue. When her vision cleared, she found herself sprawled on the ground next to a small lake. Slowly, she sat up, taking in her surroundings.

The trees were younger than the ones back home and have a darker shade on their barks and their roots were huge and gnarled. If she needed to, Rowena could step on one and climb up to the treetops easily. Some had mushrooms running up their sides, others with low hanging branches. She looked up to see if she could get a glimpse of the sun, but only little rays of sunlight beamed through the leaves. Hugging herself, she rubbed her arms as her face grew worry and apprehensive. "Where am I?"

For a moment, she just stayed still with her legs curled underneath herself. Her white skirt spread out like a circle, the hem stained with dirt. The wind blew her hair gently to the side, making her cinnamon locks flutter. Then it came back to her like rushing water.

The wardrobe...

The chaos...

Barek...

Rowena's hands clutched her forearms, nails digging into her skin. Her head tucked into her neck, facing the ground. Angry tears burned her eyes, teeth gritted together so hard that they hurt. He lied to her, he tricked her, betrayed her-how could he do that? She trusted him. Trusted him enough to believe he was with the same person from the circus they grew up in, enough to let him enter Yen Sid's tower, enough to believe that he was still her best friend-maybe something more-but he stood her up from the start.

What will the others think if they known she brought him to the tower in the first place?

Rowena wiped her face with the back of her hand. Gathering herself together, she stood up and smoothed her clothes out before walking down a random path. She had to find him. Barek and his band of criminals. Bring them back to the castle somehow and have them face justice. Somehow, she had to set things right.

* * *

Something wet brushed against Oswald's cheek, bringing him out of his unconscious state. He slowly opened his eyes, lifting his head off the ground. Pluto licked his face again, his breath hot on the rabbit's face. Groaning, Oswald sat back on his bottom and rubbed his head. "Ooh, my head..."

Next to him on the grass, Mickey come to and slowly sat up. Pluto went over to the mouse and licked his face, whimpering. Mickey opened his eyes, putting a hand on Pluto's head to calm him. "It's ok, Pluto. Everything will be alright."

"I don't know, Mick," Oswald voiced out, catching their attention. The rabbit was looking at the horizon and gestured out in front of him. "Take a look at that."

Mickey and his dog followed Oswald's gaze and their eyes widened. From their place on a cliff, lay a land covered by trees with a river snaking through the green, a small bridge built over it. However, what captivated their attention most was the castle looming in the distance, sitting atop a slope of some sort. It's walls gleamed reddish-pink in the setting sun.

Both brothers stared, slack-jawed and wide eye at the incredible sight before them. Finally, Oswald spoke slowly. "Mickey?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think we're in the castle anymore."

Mickey slapped his forehead, realization hitting him. "The wardrobe! It musta sent us to another world!"

"Really?" Oswald asked dryly, waving a paw toward the landscape. "What gave ya that idea? Waking up on top of a cliff or the 14th century castle in the distance?"

Mickey frowned at Oswald, but made no comment. He just waved it off. Then another thought hit him, turning his head left and right. "But where's Pete and the others? They would've been caught in the vortex too."

"And Rowena," Oswald added, worryingly rubbing the back of his head. "Who knows where she could be? Where any of them could be."

"Why don't we go explore and see if we can find anyone that can help us?" Mickey suggested, getting up and picking his hat off the ground. He offered a gloved hand to Oswald and, after a moment's hesitation, took his hand.

He dusted his shirt off once he was standing. "Let's hope we don't get eaten by anything." Oswald said, walking past Mickey and ducking under a low branch. Mickey put his hat on and followed the rabbit into the woods, his dog trailing behind him.

* * *

At a little meadow, tall grass swayed in the cool afternoon breeze as birds were singing in the trees. A deer was grazing nearby, the atmosphere tranquil and peaceful as it nibbled the earth. Its ears twitched and lifted its head, suddenly on the alert. There was nothing as it examined its surroundings. The deer was about to go back to eating when a light exploded in the middle of the valley, creating an oval-shaped portal in mid-air. Frightened, it dashed out into the cover of the trees, not seeing the huge cat, three dogs, and human boy fly out screaming at the top of their lungs.

Barek hit the ground face-first, pain jolting him like a shock. He tried to get up, but was forced back down when the Beagle Boys piled on top of him. To make matters worse, Pete landed on top of them. The weight crushed the wind out of the boy at the bottom, making him gasp for breath. "Get…*gasp*…off of me!"

Eventually, they were all up on their feet and recovering from the distorted trip. Barek patted his shoulders of dirt and straightened out his jacket, the corners of his mouth edging up. He did it; he finally got to another world. Whoever said you couldn't run away from your problems was wrong. His were a world away from him now. As soon as Pete paid him, they'll go their separate ways. He doesn't know what that moron and his nimrods will do, but Barek doesn't care. He just wanted to get on with his new life and forget the old one as fast as he can. He twisted his upper body around to look at the group behind him, giving a half-smirk.

"Well, it's been a pleasure working for you, _fellas_," He said loosely. "Now if you'll just pay what you owe me, I'll be off to start my new life and hope to God that we never cross paths again." He extended his arm out, palm up.

"Where are we?" One of the Beagle Boys asked.

"A new world, far from the old one, my friend." Barek asked, elated with that fact.

"Which one?"

"Do I look like I know? Just pay me already."

"Now hold on," Pete started, pulling out a book from his pocket. "First ya gotta help us use this book here."

Barek glimpsed at the book for a second, looked back at Pete, furrowed his eyebrows as he frowned, and looked back at the book. In Pete's meaty hand was a book with a _blue_ hard-cover. "That's not the right book."

Pete blinked, confused. "Wha? What do ya mean it's not the right book?"

"I mean that's the book with the stories in it." He pointed at the cover. "The Book of Spells is purple. This is blue. Open it up and I bet it says Book of Legends."

Grumbling, Pete opened the book to the first page and scanned it over. Under his breath, he mumbled the title and his eyes widen in anger. Growling, he started to jump up and down in a tantrum waving his fists around. The book flew out of his hands and into the hands of the Beagle Boys. After a minute, Pete jabbed his index finger into Barek's chest.

"This is all yer fault!"

"My fault?" Barek swatted his hand away. "You're the one who grabbed the wrong book!"

"You told me it was the biggest one!"

"I also told you the name of it, which are in big, golden letters on the front!"

"I didn't have time to read it, alright? I wanted to get out of there without the girl seeing me."

"That worked well until you had that freak-out with the rodent. Point is, I'm just a guy you hired to help you in getting into the tower and to distract the girl while you swipe the book from behind her back. I did my job, I got the key, I did everything you asked me to do."

"Well, now yer gonna get the right book fer me because I tell ya to!"

Barek let out a laugh, not believing this guy could be so dense to think that. "Are you kidding me? It's a world away and there's no way to get back!"

Pete took a step toward the boy, fist raised. "Ya listen here, punk! I'll-"

"Boss?"

Pete and Barek turned their heads to the side, glaring at the Beagle Boys. "What?"

They cringed back, two hiding behind the one with the book. Not wanting to try their patience, the two pushed the book holder forward, causing him to stumble a little. He sent a quick glare at them before turning to face his boss and thief, holding the book out. "There's something you might want to see in this."

"Give me that!" Pete grabbed the book. Grumbling, his eyes scanned the page. "...an ancient artifact...said to have incredible power...hmm."

His brain slowly worked before an idea clinked into his head, his face slowly lighting up in a sinister smile. "Well, maybe we don't need tha' book after all."

"Which means you don't need me anymore," Barek voiced out. He held his hand out. "So pay up."

"Not so fast." Barek jumped back as Pete practically waved his hand into the thief's face. "Yer gonna help us find this first, then yer business'll be done."

Barek clenched his hands, his shoulders rigid. "We had a deal! You said after I help you steal the book I would be rewarded!"

Pete held the book up, pointing at it. "Well, it ain't the right book. So if you want yer money, you'll have ta do this one last job."

Barek glared at Pete's smug face, wanting nothing more than to smack that stupid smirk of his off. In the past, Barek would just steal the money from his employers or run away with the item they had him acquired afterwards. Rare times he just walked away after he's refused his payment. Though he couldn't this time. He needed that money if he was going to build a new life in this world. Even if he had to do what this numb-skull says. He sucked in a breath and slowly exhaled, teeth clamped tightly together.

"Fine. But this will cost you extra. What is it that we're going after?"

Pete glanced down at the book and read aloud, "Uh...the Black Cauldron."

* * *

If Rowena was a normal person, she would have wandered the woods for hours, days maybe with no sense of direction. However, she spent her life living inside a gypsy caravan with a woman who taught her everything from herbs to using the stars for direction. Rowena knelt beside a tree, running her hands over the smooth bark down to the squishy moss at the base. Remembering that technique Voodoo Mama Juju taught her, Rowena twisted her head to the direction she knew now where to go. She got up quickly, her hands still trailing along the tree.

"Please lead me to someone," she whispered, then recoiled back. She waved her hand vigorously, a splinter piercing her finger. She plucked it off, a bead of blood rising to the skin's surface. "Really?"

Rowena made her way through the woods, trying to be careful not to stumble or get her skirt caught on anything. Before long, she came to the end of the maze of groves, standing atop on a hill. Below was a cottage with animals roaming around, a stack of hay piled near the little stream that separated the house from the farmhouse with a pen next to it.

Rowena cocked her head to the side, placing her hand on a nearby broken fence. "A farm? Which story is this?" She thought out-loud, referring to the Book of Legends. It had lots of stories in it, all from the many worlds beyond hers and a brief history of each world. They were very few that mentioned a farm, only two coming into mind: One about a fox and hound, the other an assistant pig keeper.

She pinched her upper lip in thought. "There's no other farms around. It must be the assistant pig keeper's home. Which means I'm in Prydain."

It also meant that Dallben was here. He could help her locate Barek and his friends. With that in mind, she raced down to the cottage. A trio of geese honked as she ran past them, crossing over the small bridge with water trickling underneath. She halted at the door, remembering that there were rules against this.

"This is an emergency." She reminded herself and knocked on the door, calling out for the resident. "Hello? Is anyone in there?"

Nothing.

Her hand rested on the doorknob, unintentionally opening the door. It cracked open, the hinges creaking loudly. Cautiously, she peeked her head in. "Hello?"

There was no one in there, except for the-

"HIISSS!"

"AH!"

Startled, Rowena fled from the door and rounded a corner, putting her back against the wall. Realizing that she was scared of a cat, she chided herself. There were some dangerous criminals on the loose; she couldn't allow herself to be so jumpy. Then another thought occurred to her: _What if they aren't even on this world?_

"I wish I knew how to sense them, or at least scry?" She mumbled, then her eyes widen. "Wait a minute. If Dallben lives here that means Hen Wen is nearby."

Hen Wen was an oracle pig, capable of showing visions that foreshadow the future. Maybe she would see something of Barek's gang, but only if they were in this world. Refilled with new hope, she hurried over to the barn house, but stopped when she heard terrified squeals and shouting. Gripping the edge of the sliding door, the young apprentice peeked inside and her eye wandered around the room until she glanced down. She clamped a hand to her mouth, inaudibly gasping.

Unconscious on the floor, was an old man she guessed must be Dallben. She silently slipped inside, kneeling beside the man. It looked like he was taken from surprise, a lump forming on the back of his head. He still had a pulse, though, which was a relief considering all the other stuff that's happened. She jumped to her feet when she heard more squealing, coming from above her head. Rushing over to a ladder, she climbed up and peeped over the floor, careful not to be seen.

Before her was a goblin, his skin green and ghastly-looking, donned in brown attire with a purple cape covering his head and shoulders. He was shifting hay around with a pitchfork and throwing it carelessly behind him, obviously searching for something. Rowena could hear him give a low growl of frustration before speaking in a raspy voice.

"Where are you, pig! Show yourself!"

Rowena ducked her head down. She had to do something, but she couldn't interfere with the world's residents. _"But I was going to do that anyway. I have to confront him. But how can I control my magic without my bracelet to help me?"_ Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, she focused her mind on the pitchfork, whispering words of magic. The muscles in her head strained, but it worked.

The pitchfork flew out of the goblin's hands, surprising him. Before he had time to say anything, the butt-end of the handle smacked him across the face, sending him skidding across the floor and disappearing into hay piled there. Groaning, he resurfaced with hay on his head.

"H-how did-?

He started when three metal prongs were held in front of his face. Looking up from the pitchfork, he saw the holder to be a young girl with wavy hair and hazel eyes burning with determination, but there was a hidden caution in them.

Rowena gripped her weapon, hands growing clammy with each minute. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"N-n-no need to be so hostile. I mean no harm."

Rowena moved it closer to his neck, trying to appear threatening. "Tell me who you are and why you're here now."

"C-creeper," he stammered, his red, uneven eyes staring at the blades. "I merely wanted to-"

"Wait a minute, I recognize you," Rowena intervened, squinting her eyes. "You're that servant of the Horned King's."

He held up an index finger. "Former servant, actually."

"That's right, he was killed. By the Cauldron. But what are you doing here?"

"I merely wanted the pig to show me something."

Rowena planted her foot forward, locking her shoulders in. "That's why you knocked down that poor old man below, because you wanted to see something? What was it?"

Creeper stumbled over his words, fiddling with his hands. "I-I wanted to see if any fortune would be in my future. You see, I haven't had the best of luck these days."

He gave her a weak smile, trying to appear innocent. Rowena just let a bored expression cross her face. Then the thought of the pig crossed her mind. She took a quick glance at the mounds of hay before glaring back at Creeper.

"You just stay where you are, alright?"

As soon as the prongs were withdrawn from his neck and she turned around, Creeper tried to make a break for it. Hearing the footsteps, she whirled around; hand raised and unleashed a series of purple magic tendrils that struck the goblin in the back. He fell to the ground with a thump, feeling a weight on his back.

"A teddy bear?" Rowena shouted, hitting her forehead with a fist. "Grr, I meant for it to be a cage."

Creeper crawled out from under the bear, awestruck by the power this girl demonstrated before him. Never before has he met one so young as her to have it. If he played his cards right, perhaps the girl could be useful to have around.

Meanwhile, Rowena let her fist dropped and stared back at Creeper. "Look, I don't have time for you. So do yourself a favor and leave this place. Never come back unless you want to become a teddy bear yourself. Be grateful that I choose to let you leave now."

Instead of scurrying away like she thought he would, Creeper stood up to his feet and bow his head, hands rubbing over each other nervously. "Perhaps I could be of service to you, O Great Witch."

Rowena resisted the urge to correct him, focused on the offer he was making. "As much as that would be nice, I just need to borrow Hen Wen to show me something. There's nothing you could offer me that will-"

"Except for the words to start the visions," Creeper interrupted, his voice sounding excited. "Unless you already know them?"

She paused, knowing he was right. In order to get a vision going, those words must be spoken in front of Hen Wen. Rowena turned back to the goblin. "Why would you tell me them?"

"A-as thanks for sparing my life, beautiful sorceress."

Wanting to find Barek as soon as possible, she relented. "All right, I'll accept your help. Where's the pig?"

He pointed a warty finger to the hay pile. "In there."

"Right," Rowena drawled, looking at the hay pile before turning her eyes back to Creeper. "Get a bowl and some water, ok?"

He hobbled off, panting like a dog whose been barking too much. Rowena walked over to the hay and kneel in front of it, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Here, Hen Wen," she called out in a calm voice, tapping her fingers against the floorboards, "It's all right. You can come out now. I won't hurt you. Come on."

Slowly, a tubby pink pig crawled out, warily eyeing the girl. Rowena gave Hen a friendly smile, reassuring the pig that she was a friend. Rowena held her hand out towards Hen's snort, letting her smell it. Being around animals a lot in her early life, Rowena knew how to deal with animals. It seemed to work as Hen Wen relaxed a bit, coming closer to the girl.

Rowena smiled, patting the pig's back. "See? There was nothing to worry about."

Just then, Creeper showed up with a bucket of water splashing from his arm. As soon as she saw the goblin, Hen Wen started squealing in panic and tried to run away. Rowena threw her arms around Hen's mid-section, holding on and trying to calm her down.

"No, no, no, no! It's ok! He's not going to hurt you!" Grunting, she lifted the pig of the floor, it struggling in her arms. "Listen, I need your help. There's someone I have to find otherwise it would mean disaster. So please, I need you to show me a vision of him before anything bad happens. I promise that I'll bring him with me so that you'll never have to see him again. Just please, help me."

As Rowena spoke, Hen Wen ceased to thrash around and listened to her. Carefully, Rowena place Hen on the floor, keeping a comforting hand on her pink fur. Snorting, Hen Wen stayed next to Rowena's side and smiled at her. Rowena smiled back, scratching the pig's ear lightly. "That's a good girl."

She turned to Creeper, who was tip-toeing forward, who stopped when Rowena held her hand up. "Ok, just hand the water over here and then go all the way over there." She pointed back at the ladder leading down. "Sorry, but she doesn't like you."

"Of course, whatever you say," Creeper said in his excited tone, sliding the bucket over and hopping back to the edge, leaping on top of a barrel. "Well go on, have the pig do it already."

"I need the words, first."

"Right." Creeper cleared his voice then recited:

"_Hen Wen, from you I do beseech... Knowledge that lies beyond my reach... Troubled thoughts weigh on your heart... Pray you now those thoughts depart..."_

Rowena nodded, silently mouthing the words, and positioned the bucket in front of Hen Wen. Spinning her index finger in the water, she repeated the words of the prophetic incantation, the pig's eyes following along. Hen Wen swayed a bit and her snout dipped into the water. Everyone watched intently as images began to appear in the water.

The young girl watched, transfixed as blurry visions of Barek and those thieves walking appeared, one of them holding a blue book. _The Book of Legends. They have it._ Rowena didn't get much to think more on it as the water swirled and changed to show a big, black pot-cauldron actually.

"The Black Cauldron..." Creeper breathed, eyes fixed on that image. Rowena briefly sent a glare at him before turning her attention back to the water, which now has Barek's group standing around the cauldron in a swamp of sorts. They stepped back in fear as three specters flew out behind the pot, posing to attack them. Rowena stiffen as it switched to just Barek, trapped down as the three attackers aimed for him.

"Stop!" Rowena pulled Hen Wen back, knocking the water over. "That's enough!"

Hen Wen shook herself as Rowena took deep breathes, startled by what she saw. Whatever was in that swamp could possible kill Barek. As much as she was mad at him for the deception, it would be cruel to let him be killed. She had to help him. Afterwards, she'll give him a piece of her mind. Pushing herself up to her feet, she thanked Hen Wen. "Thank you." Then dashed down the ladder, slipping halfway down, righting herself on the steps before she nearly crashed onto the ground. Creeper followed her down, sliding down the rails and jumped off before he reached the end. Rowena stopped just as she stepped outside, realizing something.

"I don't know the way."

Creeper took this as an opportunity to jump in, speaking eagerly. "I-I-If I may, I know where it is. The swamp Morva. I can lead you to it."

"Really? You'll take me there?" she asked, almost desperate. Creeper gave her a toothy grin.

"Yes. It would be my pleasure."

Wanting to get there as soon as possible, she agreed. "All right, let's go."

She allowed Creeper to go ahead, staying close behind. With the goblin's back facing her, Rowena was unable to see the sly smirk on his face, chuckling quietly.

* * *

"So...the mirror predicted this would happen?"

For hours now, the two brothers and Pluto have been wandering around in the sparse wood, having no idea where they were going. Oswald hopped onto a fallen log that acted like a bridge between two cliffs and started to cross it to the other side.

"Great job at responding to it," Oswald said sarcastically, "Nicely done."

"Well, the mirror didn't exactly say that someone would break into the castle," Mickey explained, him and Pluto following the rabbit across the log. "It actually said that a betrayal will happen-"

"And what?" Oswald hopped off, feet landing onto the ground. He placed his fists on his hip while he watched Mickey and his dog climbed down the log bridge back to solid ground. "You didn't feel the need to alert someone? Maybe like some of the guards?"

Mickey rubbed the back of his neck, uneasy. "Well...he said that it would be a friend of ours."

Oswald stood up straighter as he heard this, alert. "Wait...you mean...you thought it was Rowena?"

Mickey didn't say anything, just walked around the rabbit and went ahead. Oswald caught up with him as Pluto ran to keep up. The rabbit keep in pace with the mouse, side-by-side.

"Don't tell me you actually thought it would be her? I mean, she's nice and a sweet girl. She wouldn't be capable of doing that." Suddenly Mickey halted, holding his arm with a guilty frown on his face.

"Ya see..." He started, everyone standing still in their spot. "It wasn't...Rowena we suspected..."

Oswald froze, staring at Mickey who refused to make eye contact with him. His face hardened into a scowl, frowning. "Oh, I get it."

Mickey looked up to see Oswald start to walk away. He took a few steps forward, hands up apologetically.

"Oswald, I know that-"

"What, Mouse?" Oswald demanded, whirling around with a glare. "That it's only reasonable to think I would be the traitor? That's it's impossible to think it could be anyone else? I get it; I'm just the outcast who barely gets any recognition. You, you're the popular one, wise leader who can't even give me the doubt that I wouldn't betray you guys."

"Oswald, I did doubt it," Mickey implored, Oswald still glaring at him with his arms crossed. "I was hoping it wasn't you. Please, Oswald, I'm sorry that I suspected you. I don't want to ruin things between us, not after all we've been through."

Oswald ears drooped, face soften slightly as he listened.

"We need to stick together."

Oswald heaved a sigh and opened his mouth to say something, but stop, eyes widening in horror. "Uh, Mick? I think we should run."

"Huh?" Mickey quirked an eyebrow and looked back as Oswald pointed a finger behind them. Huffing and lumbering through the forest floor was a big, black bear, eyeing the group with his mouth in a snarl. Mickey gave a weak 'oh', looking at the bear in fear. Pluto growled at the bear, fur bristling. It didn't faze the bear as it let out a roar, teeth showing. Courage failing, Pluto ran away whimpering in fear. With a yelp, Oswald and Mickey followed the dog's example and ran, the bear chasing them with his massive paws pounding the ground.

"So much for not gettin' eaten!" Oswald panicked, ears bent back by the wind. They cut through the woods, the bear right behind them.

* * *

**Oswald: A bear?! Really? **

**Myst: I like to keep things exciting. Don't worry I have a point to why a bear is trying to eat you.**

**Oswald: Which is?**

**Myst: All in good time, my friend. Next time will feature the other parties and a showdown. Or at least one of them. See ya next time!**

**Oswald: Remember to review. **

**For those that don't know, it's pronounced like 'Bar' then 'Rick'. 'Bar-Rick'**


End file.
